


Identity, Mistaken

by Kirathaune



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:12:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3444956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirathaune/pseuds/Kirathaune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sci-fi  AU: Gen Sanzen stows away on a freighter to escape assassins, and when he learns why he's been targeted, it changes everything he knew about the people he loved—and himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Despina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Despina/gifts).



__

_Shakujou_

Dain-Class Freighter, Type T

Medium-Size (200 Tons)

Crew: 2 • Staterooms: 2 (modified) • Cargo: 72 tons total (modified)

Cruising Speed: 750 kph • Jump-1 Capable • Max Trip Duration: 7 weeks (modified)

 

* * *

 

Gen Sanzen was running out of time.

He could hear the footfalls of his pursuers echo as they entered the cavernous docking bay, and he hoped with no small amount of desperation that they hadn't seen him enter the bay before them. Other people were moving about-mostly cargo movers and mechanics—but two days of evasion had taught Gen about the noises the two mysterious men made, and they were going to catch up to him soon.

Gen ducked behind a nearby cluster of empty cargo pods, and he leaned against one of the rigid plas containers for a few minutes of desperately needed rest. The effort of getting a head start into the spaceport had left Gen gasping for air, and his chest heaved as he struggled to get his breathing under control. His labored breaths sounded appallingly loud, and Gen clapped his hands over his mouth to muffle the noise he was making. He winced when the sudden movement stretched the ragged, burned skin that criss-crossed his right flank.

Pain coursed through him seconds later, in a sickening wave that left him hovering between puking and passing out. "Fuck, fuck, fuuuuck," he mouthed, the words coming out in a panted hiss through his cupped hands as he waited for the pain to recede.

He had gambled on the hope that the men would check the larger, upper bays first. Over the past two days, Gen had tried to lead them into thinking that he would head straight for one of the large passenger ships that were docked in the upper level of the spaceport. Which he had, and then he had immediately taken a service elevator down to the ground level bays. Years of bringing shipments to small and mid-sized freighters had made Gen familiar with these smaller, lower level docking bays, and he had instinctively chosen one that housed multiple ships.

His breathing had calmed to the point where he felt he could lower his hands and take a cautious look around. Gen was relieved to see that the bay had one B-Class and three C-Class freighters in dock. They were smaller ships that usually had a crew of only one to three people, but they still had plenty of cargo space. Gen had delivered containers full of wine barrels to ships like these, where they were carried light-years away to be enjoyed at some rich patron's table. Komou's wines were in high demand.

_Not any more._ Gen's mind replayed the horrific scene he had escaped from only a few days before: acres of lush vines on fire, with ripening grapes hissing as they burst from the heat of the flames; the bright, blue-white streaks of blaster fire in the smoke-filled night sky; and the hazy silhouette of Komou collapsing to the ground in a motionless heap.

_Run, Gen—don't let them get you!_

Gen squeezed his eyes tightly shut, shoving down the rush of grief that threatened to overwhelm him. _No time for that now,_ he told himself grimly. Exhaustion and injury was taking its toll, and to continue running from his mysterious assailants was no longer an option. There was no time to grieve, no time to question how or why; right now he needed to find a place to hide away, and get off-planet.

But where? The two ships closest to him were dark and closed up tight, and a third was being refueled by a large, hovering mech-drone. Gen craned his neck to peek at the fourth freighter, and relief flooded through him when he saw a cluster of cargo pods and a lowered ramp. Even better, they had their inspection seals affixed, but they had not been locked shut. He scanned the area, looking for members of the ship's crew, and the sound of laughter caught his attention.

_There_. Over by the bay's launch portal, a young man clad in baggy pants, tank shirt and chunky boots stood with two other men. He looked more like a kid, Gen decided, and the other men's uniforms identified them as cargo inspectors. Gen saw the flash of a big, bright smile as the kid signed out a datapad and tossed it back to one of the inspectors. The men's relaxed postures, along with the jokes and laughter, told Gen that the two inspectors knew this freighter, knew this kid, and that they trusted him; normally cargo pods were locked down right after the inspection seals were applied.

He had to move _now_. Step by carefully chosen step, Gen painstakingly made his way over to the pods, and when he checked on the three men he saw that one of officials had brought out a datapad and was showing it to the other two. Vids, most likely. Gen watched them while they clustered together, and it cemented his opinion that the three were friends of a sort. All the better for him—it would decrease his risk of being noticed. He pushed against several pods in quick succession, and soon found one that wasn't as full as the others. Gen examined its seal and discovered another lucky break—the seal had been slapped on haphazardly, and the imprinted strip was barely attached to the side of the pod. He was just about finished pulling the sticker away from the plas of the pod's cover when he caught a flicker of motion in the corner of his eye.

_Shit_. Gen crouched low, and he kept still as he watched his pursuers enter the bay. He held his breath, waiting to see where they would go next.

He allowed himself to exhale when they walked over to the freighter that was being refueled. Gen took one more glance back at the kid; the three men were still absorbed with watching the datapad. _Now!_ He quickly lifted the lid, and then he hiked himself up and over the edge, lowering himself into the pod. He reached up and eased the lid down.

The pain hit him again seconds later, and sweat dripped from Gen's brow as he fought to remain conscious. Finally, the pain backed down to a dull roar, and Gen was able to examine the interior of the pod.

He was grateful to discover that the pod he'd chosen was one of the newer ones that had a ventilation panel. Dim slices of light shone through the vent shutters, revealing the hazy outlines of packages of textiles and garments. Gen knew once he was in the cargo hold he'd be in complete darkness, so he took advantage of the light to determine what he would have to move around later. He wouldn't be able to stay in his current position for too much longer; Gen could already feel pain radiating from the wound along his side.

He heard footsteps, coming from the direction of the other freighter. _Here they come._ Gen kept still as he heard the men approach, and he felt a grim satisfaction that they sounded as exhausted as he felt.

"He's gone, Xen. We've been through every shitty bay in this shitty spaceport, and he's not here. "

It sounded like they were only a few feet away from him.

"The guy didn't just disappear, asshole, he has to be nearby. And he's hurt pretty bad—he can't run from us forever."

"He's probably dead in some corner of a docking bay."

Gen heard a derisive snort. "You think Litou's going to pay for 'probably'? We don't get the rest of our money until we show him that _all_ of them are dead—and this slippery bastard is the last one. We keep looking."

"Uko's gonna be pissed that we killed the old man. I heard that they were friends, back in the day."

There was a scuffle, and Gen fought to keep silent as one of the men landed against his pod.

"Uko will only find that out if you tell him. Litou wanted them both dead, and Litou's the one paying us. If Uko asks, I'm gonna tell him that Komou died in the fire we set. What are _you_ gonna say?"

The pod rocked again.

"Y-yeah, he died in the fire. S-sure."

Gen's fingernails dug into his palms as he clenched his fists in helpless rage.

"Hey! What're you guys doing around my cargo?"

It was the kid.

"We're… here to make your pre-load inspection."

The clomp of the kid's boots echoed through the vast bay. "I just had my inspection, and I'm getting ready to load now. Hardis and Pol signed off on my manifest, see?" More footsteps, more voices, presumably those of the two genuine inspectors. All it would take was for one of them to open the pod lid and Gen was fucked.

"Sorry, we're new to this section… we're supposed to inspect a rig in, uh, Bay 36."

"This is Bay 39," the kid said.

"Sorry, our mistake."

Gen heard their fading footsteps, and remained still and silent.

The kid spoke again. "Who the hell were they? Do you know them, guys? They were really weird."

"I never saw them before, have you, Pol?"

"Nope," the other inspector said. "That was sure strange, though." Gen almost started when he heard—and felt—a slap on the side of the pod. "Hardis, you really need to be more careful with applying these seals—this one came loose already!"

"Sorry, Pol. Gadget, we'll let you get on to loading. Tell Shaw we said hi."

Gen made a face in the half-dark. _Gadget? What kind of name was that?_

"Will do! See you next time we're here, guys."

Gen imagined the kid was probably wearing that dopey grin he'd seen earlier, he could almost _hear_ him smiling. Seconds later, Gen almost jumped out of his skin when Gadget gave the pod a hearty thump.

"All right, let's get you guys on the ship!"

The next half hour was one of the more surreal moments of Gen's life as he endured the bumping and jostling of being moved with a grav-sled, and then hauled up the ramp and into the hold. Worse, he had to endure the kid's loud, off-key singing.

_Just shut up and finish already,_ Gen silently pleaded. His arms and legs were beginning to cramp from holding his position in the pod, and Gen didn't dare to move until everything was loaded. So he waited, in the dim light of the hold, for Gadget to finish.

A speaker buzzed above him. "Gadge, aren't you done yet? All that time you spent yapping with Frick and Frack, we could have been off-planet by know."

"Fuck you," came the cheerful reply. "It's good when I make friends with the inspectors—Hardis made a 'mistake' with our export fee, so we've got some extra beer money."

Damn if Gen couldn't almost see him making quote marks with his hands.

"Not bad, kiddo! Beer makes everything better. Now finish up and get your ass up here."

"Okay, I'll just be a few more minutes."

Gen soon heard the hydraulic whine of the ramp being raised, and he hoped that meant he would be left alone soon. His calves were just about screaming, and his arms weren't much better. His wish was granted moments later; with a loud _clank_ the ramp locked into place, and then Gen heard the _whoosh_ of a lift tube. After a series of clicks, he was plunged into darkness.

Complete, utter darkness.

Gen held his hand in front of his face and saw nothing; for the first time since he'd run into the spaceport he began to doubt the wisdom of his escape plan.

The roar of the ship's engines reminded him that he wasn't entirely deprived of his senses, and Gen was soon forced to steady himself as the ship rose and exited the docking bay. The engines increased their speed, and Gen struggled to maintain his balance while the ship pushed through Kinzaan's atmosphere and entered open space.

He was profoundly grateful that the ship's hold was equipped with grav-plates.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gen decided he had waited long enough; Gadget was gone, and the hold was dark. It was time to get comfortable—well, as comfortable as was possible in a three-by-three cargo pod. The absolute dark of his surroundings was a serious handicap, though, since Gen could no longer see the contents of the pod. But at least now he didn't have to worry as much about noise, and so he let go of the upper edge of the pod to lean against the pile of wrapped packets that he knew were right in front of him.

It was a mistake. The packages of fabric split apart under his weight, causing Gen to lose his balance and fall forward. The pod lurched, and Gen struggled to get back on his feet, only to fall again as he slipped on a length of fabric that spilled from one of the split packets. He groaned when he landed on his injured side, and when white-hot pain slammed through him seconds later, it was just too much.

Gen welcomed the soothing calm of unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Gadget hummed to himself as he rode the lift tube up to the main deck. Both holds were crammed full of cargo, which meant there would be a nice chunk of money when everything was delivered. Even better, two places on their list were planets Gadget had never been to before.

The plasglas door of the tube slid open, and Gadget hopped out onto the main deck. “Bottom hold is secured!” he called to the bridge, where Shaw was busy running through the dock’s exit procedures.

“Yeah, yeah,” came the reply. “Don’t forget the rest of it.”

Gadget grinned. Shaw was pretty laid-back about how they did most things aboard the _Shakujou_ , but he was a stickler about two duties; securing the cargo that they hauled on the freighter, and completing all the takeoff and landing safety checks.

As Gadget walked through the main deck’s cargo hold he checked strappings and restraints, and when he got to the engine room in the back he scanned the rows of gauges that made up the back wall. Shaw had taught him which ones to check and what to look for, and with every flight Gadget learned more about the ship. He looked forward to when Shaw would let him have a chance in the pilot’s seat.

A quick jog around the perimeter allowed Gadget to examine the fuel tanks—all full and properly pressurized—and then he rode the rear lift tube up to the top deck. The topmost space had originally been designed for housing extra passengers, but Shaw had tricked it out to house their food and water stores, allowing them to take longer distance jobs, and it freed up the main deck for more cargo. The top deck also housed the freighter’s small shuttle, which doubled as an escape pod. Money had been tight lately, so the food stores weren’t as plentiful as Gadget would liked. He scanned the shelves and made a mental note of what to get at their next stop, and then he grabbed a bag of vegetable crisps, secured the container, and headed back to the bridge.

“Everything’s good,” he told Shaw as he stepped down into the cockpit. He dug into the bag for a handful of crisps.

Shaw eyed the bag. “It’s a wonder we have any supplies at all, the way you eat.”

“What?” Gadget asked with his mouth full. “I’m a growing boy.”

“You’re somewhere around twenty, for fuck’s sake, you’re done growing.” Shaw looked him up and down, “And it looks like you didn’t do a very good job of it.”

“Asshole.” Gadget flung himself into his chair.

“Just calling it like I see it, bro.” Shaw reached over and stole a handful of crisps from the bag. “Finish that shit before you touch my equipment.”

“I don’t want to touch your equipment.”

“You can’t handle my equipment.”

“You’re right," Gadget retorted, "it’s too dinky for me to handle.” He laughed and ducked Shaw’s mock-blow, and then he crumpled up the empty bag and shoved it into the cockpit’s garbage chute. He wiped his hands on his pants and reached for his headset.

Takeoff was uneventful, and Gadget yawned while they went though the mind-numbing routine of exiting a spaceport. After uploading their delivery schedule and manifest for the third time—this time to the checkpoint that orbited the planet—Gadget breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally in open space.

“Please tell me our next place isn’t going to have this many checkpoints,” Gadget said as he took off the headset and hung it next to his console. “Don’t these people talk to each other?”

Shaw shrugged and tossed his headset up onto the dash of his nav panel. “Eh, it’s all a fee-charging racket. But it bites them in the ass, really; a lot of pilots don’t want to deal with the hassle and won’t carry freight here, so imported stuff is scarce.”

“But _we_ just delivered here.”

“That’s because I am a patient man,” Shaw said, and then he grinned. “And besides, I charge extra for coming here.” He reached over and pushed the accelerator forward. “Our next stop’s just has one checkpoint at the spaceport, and I know most of the guys who work there.”

“Cool.” Gadget watched as Shaw piloted the ship, deftly maneuvering around nearby ships that were coming and going. Soon they were far enough away from Kinzaan that the chatter died down on the comm panel, and they were left with the familiar noises of the _Shakujou_.

Familiar… except for an odd thump. Gadget turned his head and listened. It wasn’t consistent, and Gadget tried to think of what mechanical parts would make that kind of sound.

Another thump, louder.

Shaw frowned and looked back at the entrance to the bridge. “What the hell is that? You must’ve done a crap job securing the pods in the lower hold - the noise is coming from there.”

“I tied everything down fine!” Gadget swiveled his chair around and leaned forward, trying to suss out the source of the noise. “Hunh. You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right! It’s my fucking ship, I think I should know it pretty well.” Shaw jabbed a finger at the bank of monitors that were mounted to the right of Gadget’s seat. “Bring up the feeds on the bottom cargo hold.”

Gadget reached over and punched some buttons, and a few seconds later half a dozen screens flickered to life. He studied each of the grainy, green-tinged pictures, and he gasped when he saw one of the storage pods shake. He tapped the screen. “Look!”

Shaw peered at the screen, and his frown deepened when the pod shook again. “There’s something in there. You need to check it out, right now.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you! The cargo holds are your responsibility, for one thing, and I can’t switch over to comp-pilot just yet. Get your ass down there and find out what’s going on.” Shaw returned his attention to the flight controls in front of him. “And put your headset back on.”

“Okay,” Gadget said, and he glanced at the screen and made a mental note of the pod’s location. He undid his restraint and got up, and then he retrieved his headset and headed for the doorway.

“Gadge.” Shaw kept his gaze on the starmap that now illuminated the cockpit’s canopy. “Take a friend with you.”

“Yeah.” Gadget grabbed a long metal rod that was tucked into a niche next to his console, and then he bounded up the steps and down the main corridor.

The metal chilled his hand as Gadget made his way down to the lower cargo hold, and he was uncomfortably aware that he was armed in what he considered his home. He remembered the two strange men from earlier, and Gadget gripped the rod tighter. What if they were thieves? What if they’d found a way to sneak on board?

“Shit,” he whispered. He _had_ been careless, leaving the pods unattended while he’d been joking around with Pol and Hardis. He switched on the lights, and the hold was bathed in flickering, pale blue light.

Fortunately, the pod in question was easy to get to. Gadget moved carefully down the narrow aisle, keeping a loose but ready stance. He reached the end of the aisle, and eyed the large, plas container in front of him. The inspection seal was still intact, so Gadget carefully reached into a pocket of his pants and retrieved a folding knife. He held the metal rod aloft, ready to strike, while he sliced through the seal and pocketed the knife. Then swiftly undid the pod’s lock, threw the lid back and looked inside.

_What the hell?_

He tapped the comm button on his headset. “Hey, Shaw! I think you need to come down here as soon as you can.”

Shaw’s voice crackled in his ear. “What is it?”

“There’s a guy in here, and it looks like he’s hurt pretty bad.”


	3. Chapter 3

Gen woke to the sound of water trickling on metal.

_Where am I?_

Panic surged through him. Had those men finally found him? No, he reasoned, those men had wanted him dead. His mind rapidly replayed memories of his desperate race through the space port, hiding in the cargo pod, and the sickening pain when he had lost his balance and fallen. 

With some effort Gen opened his eyes, and he was shocked that he could _see._ He definitely wasn’t in the cargo pod any more, or even the cargo hold—he was in a surprisingly comfortable bunk, under a sheet and coverlet. 

He’d been found, but not by his pursuers.

Gen raised his arm and saw bandages and patches of plas-skin taped over gashes and burns, and when he peeked under the covers he found more of the same. Someone had taken a lot of time to tend to his injuries, and Gen could also feel the trace of pain meds lingering in his system.

He looked around. He was in a tiny space, perhaps seven feet wide and a little under twice that long, with a high, girdered ceiling and modular wall panels. Several of the panels were open, revealing storage areas filled with clothes, books, tools, and bags of snacks. It was obviously someone’s quarters, and a glance at the other end of the space revealed the room’s owner when he saw Gadget in the washroom, clad only in sleep-shorts, leaning over a sink while he brushed his teeth.

Gen shifted on the bunk, wincing when his blaster-scorched side pressed against the mattress. His movement caught Gadget’s attention, and the kid looked over and gave him a foamy grin.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Gadget spat into the sink, and then he ran a little more water to rinse his mouth. He grabbed a nearby towel and scrubbed at his face, and then he slung the towel around his neck, filled a small cup with water and padded, barefoot, over to the bunk. “How’re you doing?”

_He’s no kid_ , Gen thought, as he got an eyeful of lean muscles moving under smooth, tanned skin. “Better, thanks,” he said. “And… thanks for the patch-up.”

“No problem! You’re gonna look like shit for a few days, but nothing’s broken, and I taped you up nice.” Gadget reached over and tugged at a small panel on the wall, pulling out a small side-table. He set the cup on it, and then sat down on the edge of the bunk next to Gen. “Here, I’ll help you sit up so you can drink some water.”

Gen was thirsty, so he accepted the help, although he grimaced when he felt the plas-skin patches pulling at tender skin. He drank the water in small sips, and grunted his disappointment when Gadget took the cup and set it back on the tabletop.

“That’s enough for now,” Gadget said, and he helped settle Gen back against the pillows.

“Thanks,” Gen said. He plucked at the threadbare coverlet. “This is your bunk, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Gadget replied, and then he rubbed a hand along the back of his head. “Shaw put you in with me since it’s my fault you got on board, and besides, right now you need a bed more’n I do. For now I’m gonna just rig up a hammock over there.” He jerked a thumb toward the opposite end of the tiny room. “Speaking of bed, I’ll go ahead and set mine up, now that I don’t hafta worry about disturbing you.” He got up and retrieved a panel of freight containment webbing from a nearby drawer.

Gen watched him as he climbed up and secured the webbing to the ceiling grid with various ropes and clips. “You’re like a goddamn monkey,” he said.

Gadget laughed. “Shaw calls me that a lot. But I’m good at getting into a lot of places, and that means I can pack this ship until we can’t take on any more weight.” He tightened one of the clips and then hopped back down to the floor. Another cabinet yielded a cache of blankets, and Gadget tossed all but one of them up onto the webbing. “So, now that you’re awake, I can ask—what’s your name?”

Gen paused, wary of giving anything away to this unknown person. But Gadget’s face was open and completely without cunning, so he relented and replied, “Gen.”

“Hi, Gen.” Gadget began to unfurl the blankets and spread them over the webbing. “Everybody calls me Gadget.”

“What kind of stupid-ass name is ‘Gadget’?” Gen had been wondering ever since he’d overheard them while he was in the pod.

Gadget smiled, clearly unoffended at the question, and a slim shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I grew up in the alleyways of Bel’een, and if I had a name I don’t remember it. There was this old man who ran a fix-it shop, and I used to take broken stuff out of his trash, fix it and sell it for food. One day he caught me, and he ended up giving me a job fixing the things he couldn’t. He was the one who started calling me Gadget. It stuck, I guess.”

Gen had heard of Bel’een; the city took up most of its planet, and was known as much for its slums as for its bustling trade ports. It said something about Gadget’s skill that he had made it out of those alleyways.

Gadget tossed the ‘pillow’ onto his makeshift hammock, and then as he walked back over to the bunk he checked his wristpad. “Time to change the plas-skin and put more biogel on those wounds of yours. It must have hurt like a bitch when you took that blaster hit,” he said as he reached for the medikit.

“It did,” Gen said. “Still does—ow!” He cursed when Gadget pulled away the flexible, milky-white sheet that covered his side from the bottom of his ribs to just above his hipbone.

“Sorry,” Gadget said, “but I’m gonna have to do this every couple of hours. You don’t want it to get infected, and using the plas-skin will help it heal real fast. When I’m done I’ll give you another shot of the pain meds.”

Gen grit his teeth while Gadget worked on him, and in an effort to distract himself he focused his gaze on Gadget’s face. It was more of a cute face than a handsome one, framed with spiky, chestnut-brown hair. Up this close, it was more obvious that Gadget was in his early twenties, and probably only a few years younger than Gen. He was the type who would probably look boyish into his thirties, and Gen figured that looking that youthful was a curse at times.

He had his own curse, one of golden blond hair and delicate features, and being called ‘pretty’. 

Gen was studying the smattering of freckles across Gadget’s nose when Gadget glanced up at him and smiled. Gen looked away and decided to watch Gadget’s hands instead.

“There, all set!” Gadget fished in the medikit for the transdermal pen, and he twisted it to dial in the next dose. “I’ve put a sedative in this as well as a painkiller and antibac. At this point, sleep is your friend.” He pressed the pen’s wide tip against Gen’s upper arm.

It stung, but Gen welcomed the numbing rush of the painkiller. Gadget let him have a little more water, and then with Gadget’s help he settled back under the covers. _Shit works fast_ , he thought, when keeping his eyes open became a real effort.

Gadget walked over to the room’s hatch, and then he paused, his hand hovering over the light controls. “You good for the night? Need anything else?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Gen replied.

“All righty, then—lights out.” Gadget pulled down the slider, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Not quite dark… Gen realized there was a faint blue glow above the hatch. “Is that blue light on all the time?” he asked.

“Absolutely.” The webbing straps creaked as Gadget climbed onto his hammock. “Have you every been in _total_ darkness?” He snorted. “Yeah, you have, haven’t you? It’s freaky as hell, right? Besides, the light makes it easier to take a piss in the middle of the night.”

Reminded of his short stint in the storage pod, Gen had to agree with Gadget. “Is it really night, though?”

“For us, it is. When you travel on a ship like this for long stretches, you gotta keep a routine. All of the main living areas have programmed lighting for Standard time.” More creaks as Gadget settled into his makeshift bed. “This hammock isn’t too bad,” he said. “Good night, Gen.”

“Good night—hey wait, you’re not even going to ask me why I stowed away on the ship?”

Gadget yawned loudly. “Nah. Shaw’s gonna be all over your ass in the morning, so there’s no point in making you tell your story twice.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I don’t like it.” Shaw Gojo slammed his empty coffee mug down on the common room’s table and tilted his chair back, throwing lanky legs onto the hard plas tabletop. “I mean, it sucks what happened to your home, and I’m sorry about your old man, but the fact remains that you had two killers chasing you around for two days, and you got away from them because you hid in my cargo. They saw my ship, man.”

Gen gripped his fork and kept his gaze on his plate of food. “I couldn’t run any further, and yours was the only ship with an open ramp and cargo pods still on the floor.”

“So you took advantage of the fact that my partner is a chatty little motherfucker who would rather look at vids with his inspector buddies than actually load the ship.” Shaw directed that comment toward Gadget.

“I _said_ I was sorry,” Gadget mumbled around a mouthful of eggs.

Gen looked up and squarely met Shaw’s hostile gaze. “Yeah, I did. I needed to get away from those men—they almost killed me once, I didn’t want them to get another chance.”

Shaw sat up, his boots landing with a _thump_ on the deck. “The worst part of this whole mess is that you don’t know why! How can you not know why people are trying to kill you? People have tried to kill me before, and I definitely knew why.”

“That’s because you either cheated them at ten-card or were sleeping with their girlfriends,” Gadget said.

“I told you everything I heard them say,” Gen said. "I’ve never heard of that guy Litou, and I have no idea who those ‘others’ were that they were talking about.”

“What about that Uko guy?” Shaw asked.

Gen frowned. “My dad had a friend named Uko, who used to visit us when I was younger. He didn’t like me all that much, but I can’t imagine him wanting to have me killed.” He had to admit he never liked Uko either, and he’d always wondered what his father saw in the man, but he’d never doubted that their friendship had been genuine.

Shaw shook his head. “This is way too complicated for me, pal. We arrive at Kayuun in three days, and when we dock in their spaceport, you are getting off my ship.”

“That’s fine, “ Gen said. “That’s all I wanted, was to get off-planet.”

“I would say that you owe me for all the meds and food you’re consuming,” Shaw said, gesturing at Gen’s plate, “but even I know it would be stupid for you to try and access any of your accounts.”

Gadget scowled at him. “Stop being such a hard-ass, Shaw. You can take the money for food and meds out of my share. Gen was hurt and needed help, and we were there—what’s so bad about helping him?”

“I don’t like being this close to trouble that I didn’t cause,” Shaw replied. “Look, we’ll let him off at Kayuun—”

“With no money?” Gadget rose from his chair. 

“You want to give him money, give him money.” Shaw got up and retrieved his coffee mug. “I’m giving him shelter, food and water until we reach Kayuun.”

“Gadget, sit down,” Gen said. He looked up at Shaw. “I’ll repay you as soon as I’m able.”

“Yeah, whatever. The best way you can repay me is to get as far away from me as possible when dock at Kayuun.” Shaw poured himself more coffee, and then he left the common room and went into his office.

“Man, he’s being a jerk about this,“ Gadget said as he plopped back down in his seat. “I’m sorry.”

Gen returned to eating his breakfast. “Don’t be,” he said. “He’s right, and I would probably had said the same thing. He’s also right that I took advantage of you.”

Gadget rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, guess I learned that lesson the hard way.”

“And don’t worry about giving me money,” Gen said in between bites of food, “I’ll find work. What you’ve done for me is more than enough.”

Gadget leaned on the table, resting his chin in his hands. “It’s just that I was once in a real bad place with no food or money, and somebody helped me. I want to be that kind of person who helps.”

Gen drank down the last of his coffee. “You know what would really help right now?”

“What?” Gadget sat back up.

“A shower, if you can spare the water,” Gen replied. “And a change of clothes.” He indicated his filthy, torn pants. “These are about to fall apart, and I’m guessing you had to cut off my shirt.”

Gadget smiled. “A shower is no problem—our graywater tanks can support six people. I’ll ask Shaw for some of his clothes, you’re closer to him in size.”

“Good luck with that,” Gen said. 

“He’s pissed off at you right now, but he’ll get over it,” Gadget said. “He always does.” He rose and gathered up their plate and put them in the cleaning unit, and then he turned toward Gen. “Ready?”

Gen carefully eased out of his chair and followed Gadget into their shared quarters.

Gadget pointed to the washroom. “The shower unit’s right in there, to the left of the toilet. You ever showered on a ship?” When Gen shook his head he continued, “Only use the water when you need to, do all of your soaping up and scrubbing with the water off. I do it that way so I can run the water for a little while at the end.” Gadget carefully removed Gen’s bandages and the plas-skin that covered the burn on his side, and then he jerked a thumb toward his bunk. “I’ll hang out over there, just in case you have any trouble. Yell if you need me.”

“Okay, thanks.” 

The hot water felt wonderful on his sore muscles, and it felt even better to wash the sweat, grime, and blood from his body. He followed Gadget’s recommendation, and when Gen was done he stood beneath the hot spray for a few blissful minutes. While he dried off, he examined himself in the foggy mirror above the sink. Not too bad, he decided; he had a good number of gashes and bruises, but the worst injury was the blaster wound to his side, and—thanks to Gadget—it was already almost halfway healed. Gen wrapped the towel around his hips and left the washroom.

Gadget lay on his bunk, reading a repair manual, and he looked up when Gen walked into the main room. “Clothes are over there”, he said, gesturing toward the end of his bunk. “I bet you feel a million times better.“

“Fuck yeah,” Gen said. He dropped his towel and reached for the borrowed pants, and while he pulled them on he was aware of the way Gadget’s appraising gaze flicked over his body from behind the book. Gen had been looked at that way before, by both women and men, but this was the first time that he wasn’t discomfited by it. Maybe it was because there was no intent behind Gadget’s look, just open, honest admiration.

Gen found that he didn’t mind it at all.

“Don’t put that on yet,” Gadget said when Gen reached for the shirt. Gen watched Gadget while he gently dabbed biogel on his wound, and then covered it with a fresh sheet of plas-skin. “There you go. This should be healed by tomorrow, if we’re lucky.” Gadget reached for the transdermal pen. “You okay with pain?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Gen said. “It hurts, but nowhere near what it did yesterday. You do good work.”

A splash of pink appeared on Gadget’s cheeks. “I’m good at fixing things—people are things too, just living.” He dialed the pen for an antibio dose, and pressed it against Gen’s arm. “All done. We’ll keep up with the antibio until tomorrow, I think.” He re-packed the medikit while Gen buttoned up the shirt, and then he said, “C’mon, you can come help me do a repair in the lower engineering bay.”

“But I don’t know anything about repairing a ship,” Gen protested. “I’ve only fixed grav-sleds and other machinery at the vineyard.”

“That’s okay. I need to finish rebuilding our jumpdrive, and I could really use someone to just hand me stuff and help hold stuff in place. We can tell Shaw you’re working off your room and board.” Gadget grinned at him.

“Works for me,” Gen said.

They spent most of the day in the tiny room that housed the ship’s jumpdrive; Gen sat on a stool and handed Gadget tools and parts, and other times he held parts steady so that Gadget could work on them. He told Gadget about the vineyard, and his life there, and Gadget told him stories from when he lived on Bel’een, and how he met Shaw. 

“Old man Noon had died the year before, and I took over running the shop,” Gadget said from underneath the jumpdrive unit. “Shaw showed up one day and told me he’d just won a ship in a game of ten-card. He asked if I’d come take a look at it, since he’d heard I was good at fixing stuff. We get to where it’s docked, and when I went inside and came down here I started laughing my ass off. Gimme a number eight socket?”

“Why’d you laugh?” Gen handed him the tool.

“Whoever he’d won the ship from had stripped out half the ship’s modules, and they’d taken the entire jumpdrive unit. All the expensive shit. Dude must’ve commed someone as soon as he gave the papers to Shaw, and they took everything they could carry.”

“Shit,” Gen said. “So he won a ship that he couldn’t fly?”

“Pretty much,” Gadget replied. “That’s when he offered me a deal to work on the ship, get her running again, and in return I would get room and board, and a third of the money from our cargo runs.”

“Not a bad deal.”

“I thought it was pretty sweet, and I liked the idea of living on a freighter like this. See places, you know?” Gadget patted the bulkhead next to the drive. “Shaw gets all ‘his ship’ sometimes, but she’s my ship too—I’ve put a lot of work into her over the last couple of years.” Gadget finished his repairs, and then he handed the socket back to Gen and slid the module back in place. “All done for today!” he said, and he got up and pulled the cover back down over the drive unit. “That really helped, having you here to hand me stuff and hold things. Shaw hates doing that.”

Gadget took the remaining tools from Gen and re-packed his toolbox. “I’ll leave this here, ‘cause I’m gonna take advantage of having you around for three days! I’ll be able to get a bunch of stuff done with the extra help. C’mon,” he said, “Let’s go get dinner started. We don’t want Shaw to cook dinner, he sucks at it.”

For the rest of the evening, they remained in the ship’s common room. Gadget was a decent enough cook, and Shaw had mellowed enough toward Gen to offer him a beer. By the time they had completed five games of ten-card, Shaw was positively _friendly_.

“Man, it’s nice to have an extra person playing,” Shaw said as he pulled the pile of plaques toward him. “You’re pretty good. Gadget’s gotten decent, but a lot of games just aren’t as fun with just two people. Gadge, get us a couple more beers while I put everything away.”

Gadget complied, and he handed Gen and Shaw a bottle. “Yeah, usually we only have really good card games when we see our friend Kai.”

“Yeah, but Kai beats us every fucking time,” Shaw said, and he took a long pull from his bottle. “You’re getting better, Gadge, but I can still beat you most of the time. Gen here is giving me a good run for my money.”

Gadget drank some of his beer. “Then it’s not such a bad thing that he’s here for a couple days, hunh?” He winked at Gen.

“Nah, not too bad.” Shaw closed the lid on the card set. “You know how to play ‘Oh Hell,’ Gen?”

“Yeah,” Gen said. “My dad liked that one a lot.” A memory rose of playing cards with Komou on cold winter nights, sitting near the fire and drinking wine. He swallowed with some effort and stared at his beer bottle.

For a few moments everyone was quiet. 

“Excellent,” Shaw said, breaking the silence. “We’ll play that tomorrow night, and we’ll drink to your old man.” He got up from the table and put the card set away, and then he retrieved his beer and said, “Nighty-night, boys, I’m gonna go watch some stars.” He left the common room and headed for the bridge.

Gadget clinked his bottle against Gen’s. “He likes you now.”

“I’m thrilled,” Gen said, deadpan.

They finished their beer and he helped Gadget clean up, and then they returned to Gadget’s quarters and prepared for bed. Gen eyed the hammock of webbing. “I guess I’m in this tonight?” he asked.

Gadget’s head poked around from the washroom doorway. “Hunh? Oh, yeah. It’s pretty comfy, and I lowered it earlier so you don’t have to climb into it.”

Two sleepless hours later, Gen decided that it was _not_ particularly comfortable, despite Gadget’s claim. Maybe it was due to Gen’s larger frame, but Gen found it difficult to find a spot where he could relax, and the way the webbing swayed every time he moved unnerved him. He shifted again, muttering a curse when his foot slipped through a space in the webbing. How the hell did Gadget sleep on this when Gen had been in his bed? 

The room was bathed in the pale blue light from the tiny bulb over the hatch, and Gen glanced over to where Gadget lay. The little shit was sprawled in his bunk, snoring, his arms and legs all over the place. 

There was plenty of room for two in that bunk.

“Fuck this,” Gen muttered. He managed to get off the webbing without tipping over, and then he hitched up the waistband of his borrowed sleep-pants and shuffled over to Gadget’s bunk. He sat down on the mattress and poked Gadget in the ribs with an elbow. “Move over,” he said.

Gadget started at the contact. “Wha—?” He blinked sleepily at Gen. “What’re you doin’ here, Gen?”

“That nest of yours is only fit for monkeys, I can’t sleep in that piece of crap. Move over.”

“Um, okay.” Gadget shifted over to make room.

Gen slid under the covers and stretched out next to Gadget, and he gave a contented sigh. This was much better. Warmer, too.

“Uh, I think I should warn you that Shaw says I’m a bedhog.”

Gen snorted. “I could see that already.” He scowled in the darkness. “You sleep with that jerk?”

“No! Not like that!” Gadget exclaimed, vigorously shaking his head. “Sometimes if we need extra money we’ll fill up my quarters with cargo and I’ll bunk with him. But not like that.”

“Not your type, I guess?”

“No way!”

“What is your type, then?” Gen asked, even though he thought he knew the answer.

Gadget stammered something unintelligible in reply, and the awkward silence that followed confirmed Gen’s suspicions.

“Good night, Gadget,” Gen said, and he tried to keep his amusement out of his voice.

“G-good night.” Gadget rolled over so that his back was to Gen, and within a few minutes Gen heard his soft snores resume. 

Gen closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. At some point during the night Gen woke to find Gadget’s arm flung across his waist, and he felt the warm press of Gadget’s body next to his, and the damp puffs of Gadget’s breath against his skin.

He didn’t mind that, either.


	5. Chapter 5

Gadget drummed his fingers on the galley’s metal counter while he watched the coffee fill the pot in a thin, petulant stream, and he mentally urged it to go faster. He appreciated drinking something that didn’t come from a replicator, and he had gladly helped mod the galley for fresh food prep, but some mornings Gadget wished real food didn’t take so long.

“C’mon,” he urged the machine, and then he stifled a yawn. 

He was up earlier than usual, mostly due to the fact that he’d woken up to find himself spooned along Gen’s back, with an arm draped across Gen’s waist and an erection pressed against the back of Gen’s leg. Just the thought of it made Gadget’s face warm, and he was grateful that he’d managed to get out of the bunk without waking Gen. The last thing he wanted was for Gen to think he was going to try and jump his bones or something, especially after the whole ‘what’s your type’ discussion they’d had the night before. What do you say when a hot guy who’s totally your type asks you what your type is? Gadget had no clue, and now there was a pretty good chance that Gen knew that Gadget found him attractive. 

It had been nice, though, that moment of contented warmth before the panic and embarrassment had set in. 

While the coffee finished brewing Gadget poked through the cabinets, trying to decide what he wanted to eat. By the time the coffee was ready he had chosen some sweetrolls that he purchased from a spaceport vendor the day before, and after he got his coffee he set a plate of them on the table and sat down to enjoy his breakfast.

He was on his second cup of coffee and his third roll when the door to his quarters opened and Gen came out, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Gen’s golden-blond hair was mussed, and Shaw’s sleep-pants rode low on his hips, making Gadget forget how to breathe for a few seconds. _Fucking gorgeous,_ he thought, and his dick twitched in agreement. “Morning,” he said.

“Morning,” Gen mumbled as he shuffled toward the table. He sniffed the air. “Coffee?”

“Y-yeah, I’ll get you a cup.” Gadget bit his lip to keep from laughing; Gen would probably not appreciate being considered adorable. While he poured the steaming brew, Gadget felt a pang of longing for what could have been. He wasn’t completely sure, but he had a feeling that maybe Gen liked him too, and Gadget thought it was a damn shame that in two more days he might never see this person again.

Although… he and Shaw took cargo to and from Kayuun a lot. Maybe they could still see each other now and then.

“Here’s your coffee,” Gadget said, setting a mug down in front of Gen. “ I just bought those sweetrolls yesterday, they’re really good.” He took another roll off the plate and sat back down in his chair. “Did you sleep okay? Sorry about… hogging the bed.”

To Gadget’s relief, Gen just grunted and drank his coffee. A few minutes later Shaw ambled into the common room, and the three men ate in a companionable silence.

After they finished their breakfast, Gadget waited while Gen dressed, and then they returned to the lower engineering bay. Gadget pulled out the jumpdrive unit and checked on what he would work on for the day, and he noted with satisfaction that the unit was almost completely restored. “If we work on this today and tomorrow,” he said, “I can put the jumpdrive on line and it’ll be ready to test!”

Gen looked at him blankly. “And that’s… good?”

Gadget nodded. “Hell, yeah! A working jumpdrive lets you travel at lightspeed—way, way faster than what we’re going now. If this drive was working, we would’ve gotten to Kayuun in a couple of hours, instead of three days.” 

Gen tapped the top of the drive unit. “Was this one of the pieces the previous owner took? You’ve been working on it that long?”

“Yeah. Jumpdrives are hella expensive, but fortunately for Shaw, I am good at building things from parts. Whenever we’re planetside, I check out all the places that sell used ship’s parts, and I get what I can.” Gadget patted the top of the unit. “Hopefully it won’t take too long to test it once I’m done.” He crawled under the support slides, and when he got into a comfortable position on his back he opened the lower access panel and set it off to the side. “Might as well get started,” he said, and held out his hand. “A number three socket, please, and then you can tell me about how real wine is made—I’ve only had the replicated stuff.”

While Gadget worked he listened to Gen describe the way they grew the grapes, and the steps they took to turn them into wine. Gen’s voice roughened a little whenever he mentioned his father, but Gadget figured it was good for Gen to talk about him. So he asked questions and encouraged Gen to tell him more about Kinzaan, and as the morning wore on he was pleased to hear the melancholy gradually fade from Gen’s voice. 

He was just about to finish soldering the last connection when Shaw’s voice crackled over the comm speaker. 

“Gadget. Get your ass up here, and bring Gen with you.”

Gadget rolled out from under the unit and scrambled to his feet. He poked the comm button on the wall. “Can’t it wait? I’m almost done with the—”

“Get up here _now._ There’s trouble.”

Gadget frowned at the metal grille of the speaker, and then he turned to Gen. “Help me get this closed up,” he said. “Shaw sounds funny… we’d better get up there quick.”

When they got to the bridge, they found Shaw in his seat, staring at the plasglas canopy of the cockpit. Shaw pointed to an area of the canopy that displayed information from the ship’s aft sensors. “We have company.”

Gadget peered at the illuminated display. “Another ship? So what? We see other ships all the time.” He showed Gen a seat that was against the back wall, off to the side, and then he plopped down into his chair. 

“Yeah, but usually when you see another ship, you hail them and at least say hi. I’ve tried hailing this ship three times, over three different frequencies, and they don’t answer. Another thing,” Shaw said as he gestured at the nav panel, “I’ve deliberately made some course changes, and it did too. It’s following us.”

“That’s not good.” Gadget felt a trickle of fear in the pit of his stomach, and when he glanced over at Gen he saw that Gen was gripping the armrests of his seat.

“Yeah,” Shaw said. “I’m gonna try another course change, and increase our speed a bit. Strap in, boys.”

Gadget fastened his harness, all the while watching the aft sensor screen. The _Shakujou’s_ engines roared as Shaw increased their speed, and Gadget could feel the ship bank starboard.

A few moments later, the other ship copied their movements.

A red button lit up on the main sensor panel, and Shaw leaned forward to examine it. “Shitshitshit!”

“What?” Gadget said.

“They’re bio-scanning us. Our manifests and checkpoint clearances only list two people on board, and they’re going to find out real soon that there are three of us here.”

“Fuck,” Gen said.

“Gadget, you didn’t happen to finish rebuilding the jumpdrive today, did you?” Shaw’s gaze never left the sensor screen.

“No,” said Gadget unhappily.

A star-like burst of light flashed from the other ship.

“What the hell is that?” Gadget asked, pointing at the screen.

“No no no no,” Shaw breathed.

“What the fuck is going on?” Gen shouted from his seat behind them.

Shaw whirled around in his seat. “They just fired on—”

An explosion thundered in the rear of the ship, and metal squealed as the hull shuddered violently. While the three men clutched at their seats, red lights lit up all over the main sensor board, and the _buwoop buwoop buwoop_ of the critical alert alarm echoed throughout the bridge.

“Gadget!” Shaw barked. “Where were we hit?” He pushed the accelerator forward, and the ship groaned and shuddered again.

“No!” Gadget wailed, and he slapped at one of the monitor screens. “Not my engine room! I just fixed all that shit!”

A high-pitched siren joined the cacophony of noise on the bridge.

“Not good,” Shaw said. “We have to get out of here.”

“What?” Gen stared at him.

“The engine room’s been hit—she’s going to blow. We need to get our asses off this ship now. Fuck!” Shaw turned to Gadget. “You and Gen get to the shuttle, pronto. I’m going to send a quick comm to Kai, and let him know where we are.”

“Right.” Gadget unbuckled his restraints and quickly rose from his seat. He rested a hand on Shaw’s shoulder. “Don’t take too long, okay?”

Shaw shook his head. “I love this ship, but I’m not going down with it, bro. Now go!”

Gen was already on his feet and standing by the doorway. “Follow me, and stay close behind,” Gadget told him, and he led Gen down the corridor and through the common room area.

“We’re not getting any clothes or supplies?” Gen asked, jerking a thumb back toward their quarters.

Gadget stopped in front of the lift tube that was situated to the aft of the common room. “Don’t need to,” he said. “The shuttle is packed with everything we need, and I have a duplicate toolkit in there as well.” He pushed Gen into the tube, and then he reached in and pressed the top button. “You go up first, get out of the tube, and wait for me.” He waved in what he hoped was an encouraging way as the tube ascended and took Gen up to the upper deck.

Another explosion rocked the ship, and Gadget bounced on his heels as he waited for the lift to come back down. “C’mon, c’mon,” he muttered. He could heel his heart racing, and when the lift finally stopped in front of him Gadget opened its plasglas door with a trembling hand. “Shaw!” he shouted. “Hurry up! We don’t have much longer!”

“Coming right behind you, bro!”

Gadget reached the top deck, and he was relieved to find Gen waiting for him. “Shuttle’s back there,” he said, pointing to a hatch beyond the racks of storage shelves. They sprinted toward the hatch, and Gen helped Gadget turn the large wheel and pull the hatch open. Gadget punched in the access code on a panel next to the shuttle door, and with a _whoosh_ the door slid open, revealing a space that was perhaps twice as large as Gadget’s quarters.

A third explosion rumbled below them, and the sound of a new alarm filled the air. “The reactor,” Gadget breathed. “We gotta go. We gotta go now. Hurry up, Shaw.” He flung himself into the pilot’s chair, and began rapidly flicking switches and pushing buttons.

Gen strapped himself into the nearest seat behind Gadget. “You ever have to do this before?” he asked.

“Escape from a ship that’s about to blow up? No.” Gadget toggled a few more switches, and the shuttle’s engine hummed to life. “But we’ve taken the shuttle out lots of times, usually when a planet’s spaceport is in orbit.” He breathed a sigh of relief when Shaw bounded through the door. “Shaw! About fucking time, dude, she’s about to blow.” He closed and locked the access door while Shaw took his seat, and then he took his place in the co-pilot’s chair and tapped in the code sequence that would open the shuttle bay door.

“Fuck, that was close,” Shaw was breathing heavily. “The cargo holds are on fire.”

“Shit, bro.” Gadget watched the shuttle bay door slowly retract in front of them. _C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!_

“Yeah, it sucks.” Shaw turned to face Gadget. “Please tell me you finished installing that scanjam module you were bragging about a month ago.”

Gadget nodded vigorously. “It’s all done! It should work.” He flipped a switch to active the module.

“I hope to hell it does, Gadge,” Shaw said grimly, as he engaged the engine’s thrusters. “We don’t want these people thinking we got out of this alive.” When the door finally retracted, Shaw pushed the accelerator to max and exited the shuttle bay. As soon as they cleared the bay, Shaw killed the engines. The shuttle drifted away, carried by the initial momentum of the thrusters.

“Why did you stop the engines?” Gen demanded. “Don’t we need to get clear of the ship?”

“Yeah, but we can’t let the other ship see us actively moving,” Shaw said. “Gadget found a module that jams bio-scanners on small craft, and he fit it to this shuttle. If it works it will read like no one is on board, but no jammer will hide the flare of an engine’s thrusters. I just hope we’re far enough away from the _Shakujou_.”

“I think we’re okay,” Gadget said, and then he pointed to a blip on the display. “Shit. They’re still here.”

“Fuckers want to make sure nobody escapes.” Shaw eyed the green light on the Gadget’s module. “With any luck, we just look like a big piece of debris.”

They watched as multiple, silent explosions wracked the _Shakujou_ , and then suddenly there was a bright flash of light. Everyone shielded their eyes, and then there was nothing left of the ship but debris. Bits of metal and other material _pinged_ off the outside of the shuttle.

“Goodbye, baby,” Shaw said.

“Shit,” Gadget said. Behind them, Gen said nothing. They remained tense and silent, waiting for the other ship to leave. Finally, the ship moved, and minutes later they saw the tell-tale streak of a lightspeed jump.

Gadget exhaled and sat back in his chair. “Oh, man, that was brutal.”

“What happens now? Gen asked quietly.

“We wait for Kai,” Shaw said.

“Does your friend have a freighter, too?”

“Kai deals in a different sort of merchandise,” Shaw replied, “and he pilots a courier ship. There’s enough room for us, though.” He got up from his seat, and then he thumped Gadget’s shoulder. “Good job with the jammer, bro,” he said. “Kai should be here any minute, so we need to suit up and get our shit together.” Shaw fetched three suits from a locker in the back of the shuttle and tossed two of them to Gadget.

Gadget helped Gen with his suit, and then he put on his own.

“I feel fucking useless,” Gen said.

“You _are_ fucking useless,” Shaw said, “But at least you have enough sense to stay out of our way and do what we tell you.”

A flash of light to their right got their attention, and suddenly a small, sleek white ship appeared on the display.

“There he is,” Shaw said. He walked over to the tiny cockpit and turned off the scanjam module. “Time to become visible again.” They waited until the new ship maneuvered alongside the shuttle, and when the ship’s own shuttle bay opened Shaw initiated a tether. 

Gadget checked all the fittings on Gen’s suit, and then he handed Gen the pack that contained his emergency supplies and other belongings. “You can carry this for me, and I’ll take my toolpack.”

Gen fastened the pack to his suit. “We’re going to go from one ship to another in open space?”

“Yeah,” Gadget said. “I’ve done tethered repairs, but I’ve never gone from one ship to another this way. Shaw has, though, we’ll just follow his lead. Just take it slow.” He had to admit, he admired the way Gen had remained calm throughout their escape from the _Shakujou_. Only now, up this close, could he see the tension in Gen’s jaw, the pulse throbbing along the side of his neck, and the droplets of sweat clinging to Gen’s temple. “You’re doing great for someone who’s never even been off-planet,” Gadget said, and he held Gen’s serious gaze while he drew the plasglas helmet over Gen’s head. 

He secured his own suit, and then they followed Shaw out of the shuttle’s airlock.

He and Shaw kept Gen between them as they made their way along the tether cable, locking their legs together to minimize drifting. Hand over hand, hand over hand, for what seemed like an eternity, until they finally reached the other ship’s open shuttle bay. Shaw disengaged the tether and then he closed the bay door. After another eternity, a _ping_ and a green light told them the bay was pressurized. Gadget undid his helmet, and he glanced at Gen and saw that he was already halfway out of his suit. 

The inner airlock’s hatch opened. “Shaw, I’ve met you in some pretty strange places, but this has to be the most bizarre. Gadget, it’s good to see you again.” Kai Gonocho held the hatch open, and he gestured for everyone to enter. He started when he saw Gen. “You have company,” he said.

Shaw shoved Gen past the hatch, into the ship’s common area. “The motherfuckers blew up my ship, Kai,” he said, “and they were after this bastard.” He pointed at Gen. “I want to know who he is, and why they want him dead so much that they will blow up other people’s ships.”


	6. Chapter 6

_ _

_The Hakuryuu_  
Jin-Class Scout/Courier vessel, Type S  
Medium-sized (100 Tons)  
Crew: 1 • Staterooms: 2 (modified) • Cargo: 5 tons (modified)  
Cruising Speed: 825 kph • Jump-2 Capable • Max Trip Duration: 4 Weeks

 

* * *

 

“It sounds like you’ve had an eventful few days, gentlemen.” Kai set a tray with a pot of tea and some cups on the common room’s table, and then he laid a hand on Shaw’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about the loss of the _Shakujou_ , Shaw,” he said. “I know both you and Gadget put a lot into that ship over the years, and I’ll definitely help you find a worthy replacement.”

Gen reached for a cup of tea and took several calming sips while he surveyed in his new surroundings. The _Hakuryuu_ was about a third the size of the _Shakujou_ , and the ship was bright and clean with a sleek hull. This common room was built for comfort rather than utility, its walls and carpeted floor in shades of gray with white plas cabinets and counters built into the curved walls. Gen had delivered wine to ships like these, and their owners were usually very wealthy. Kai Gonocho wore expensive clothes, sounded well educated, and Gen suspected that the paintings hanging on the walls were done by well-known artists. He wondered how the three men had met.

Kai walked to the other side of the table and sat down opposite Gen. “We might as well get started now, and then you all can relax while I process Gen’s information. I’ll get everything entered properly, and then we’ll see what we can see.” He touched a tiny button on the side of the wire-rimmed circle of ocuglas he wore in front of his right eye. “Please state your full name.”

“Gen Sanzen,” Gen replied.

“Origin planet?”

“Kinzaan.” Gen watched in fascination as his words appeared, reversed, in glowing green type on the ocuglas.

“Current planet and location?”

“Kinzaan. My location _was_ the Three Baskets Estate and Vineyard, before those sons of bitches came and burned it, and killed my father.” Gen swallowed hard, and he pushed down the rage and grief that threatened to re-surface inside him.

Kai blinked at him. “Three Baskets? Komou Sanzen was your father?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting,” Kai said, belatedly adding, “my condolences.” His gaze drifted off center as he gave his attention to the stream of data on his ocuglas, and then he refocused on Gen. “Komou Sanzen was famed throughout the Empire as a master vintner, and as his son I’m sure you are well aware of how much demand there is for Three Baskets wine. Interestingly enough, he was a renowned geneticist before he turned to winemaking, which I’m sure contributed greatly to his success. How long had you lived there?”

“I grew up there,” Gen said.

Kai raised an eyebrow. “You appear to be approximately twenty-five Standard years of age; Komou Sanzen purchased the Three Baskets Vineyards a little over ten years ago.”

Gen frowned. “That’s impossible. My father and I have lived there as long as I can remember. And I’m twenty-six.”

The other eyebrow joined its fellow. “Give me a moment, please.” Tiny, glowing rows of text raced across the surface of the glass. “This is… strange. I need more information. Please excuse me.” Kai rose and left the common room.

“Huh? What’s up with Kai?” Gadget asked. “He looked confused. Kai never looks confused.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Shaw said, and he swiveled his chair to watch as Kai disappeared down the corridor at the end of the common room. He turned back to face Gen. “Kai is an information broker—”

“He likes ‘information specialist’ better,” Gadget interrupted.

Shaw flapped a hand at him. “Specialist, broker, whatever you want to call it, Kai makes it his business to know everything about everything, and then he sells that information to whoever needs it.” He drank some of his tea, and wrinkled his nose. “I fucking hate tea,” he said, and set the cup down on the table.

“No one can know everything,” Gen said.

“Kai knows more shit than any person I’ve ever met. And what he doesn’t know, he can find out pretty damn fast with his network of informants and his processing system. The entire cargo hold of this ship was converted to house a computer and a bunch of fancy electronics, and he accesses the whole thing with that ocuglas of his.” Shaw tapped his right temple.

“And he sells information?”

“Normally, yes.” Shaw got up and retrieved a bottle of liquor from a small recess in the wall next to their table, and he poured a generous amount in his cup. “This is free… Kai and I have an arrangement.” He drank the cup’s content in two quick gulps.

Gadget leaned over toward Gen. “Sexual favors,” he whispered.

Gen snorted, and then he held out his cup to Shaw.

The speaker above them crackled. “Excuse me, Shaw, could you please bring Gen down here right away?”

Shaw paused in the middle of pouring the amber liquid into Gen’s cup. “Oooh, he sounds excited. You’re in trouble now.” He set the bottle down and pulled Gen’s chair back. “Let’s go.”

Gen stayed in the chair and drank from his cup, welcoming the burn of the liquor. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Shaw grabbed his shirt and yanked him up, pulling Gen close until they were almost nose to nose. “I lost my ship because of you, asshole,” he said, his lip curled in a snarl. “We’re going to help Kai find out why.”

“I don’t know why they’re after me!” Gen spat back.

“Hey guys, knock it off.” Gadget worked his way in between the two men, and Gen felt the press of Gadget’s backside against his thighs. “We need to find out what’s going on.” He twisted around to face Gen. “Kai is scary-smart—if anyone can figure out what’s going on, he can.” He took Gen’s cup and set it on the table, and then he reached out for Gen’s hand. “Come on, Gen,” he said.

Gen looked at Gadget’s outstretched hand, bruised and scratched from their recent escape. He was not accustomed to guilt, and it felt dull and uncomfortable in the pit of his stomach. He was not the only one who had lost everything.

He took Gadget’s hand.

Gen let Gadget lead him down the corridor, then down a short, narrow set of metal steps to the converted cargo hold. The hum of hundreds of cooling fans filled the chamber, and thousands of tiny lights blinked in myriad colors. One wall was dominated by screens, and Gen was surprised to see Komou on several of them. One small screen had a blurry image of a dark-haired, spectacled man, and the remainder featured an elaborately dressed woman who sat on a dais with a younger man who was similarly costumed.

The woman looked strangely familiar. Gen tried to get a closer look at the other figures.

Kai looked up from the console he was studying. “Gen, could you stand over there, please?” He pointed to a lighted circle of flooring next to his table.

Gen noticed Shaw stepping toward him, so he complied before Shaw could get a hand on him. When he stepped onto the large, raised tile, a similar circle above him lit up, and Gen gave a shout of surprise when a plasglas tube descended from a port in the ceiling, encasing him. “Hey!” He scowled when a wide, electronics-laden ring slid down and clicked into place at chest level. “What the hell are you doing?” He pounded on the clear material.

“Just a few quick tests,” Kai replied. “Please stand still and keep your arms down—oh, oh dear.”

“Ow! What the fuck!” Gen flapped his hand, staring at a retreating syringe. A dot of blood welled up on the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry,” Kai said. “That was meant to go into your bicep; I need an actual blood sample instead of a transdermal reading. Now, please close your eyes.”

“Wait, what?” Gen heard a noise above him, and seconds later another ring clicked into place at his eye level, and it began to spin. Bright, blue-white light blinded him, and Gen tried to shield his eyes, cursing when his elbow slammed against the plasglas.

“Arms down, please,” Kai repeated. His fingers flew across an input pad.

“What are you doing to him, Kai?” Gadget asked.

“Just a few tests, there’s something I want to confirm. Gen, we’ll finish more quickly if you are still.”

Gen grudgingly complied.

Gadget walked over to the bank of monitors and peered at one of the smaller screens. “Huh. This guy looks just like Gen, except his hair is way longer, and he looks a little older.” He pointed at the man who was sitting to the left of the Empress.

“’That guy’, Gadget, is K’zen, the Empress’ nephew and heir,” Kai said. “His official title is ‘Douji.’”

“The Douji?” Shaw joined Gadget, and he examined the figure on the screen. He glanced back at Gen. “Wow, Gadge, you weren’t kidding. Gen could be his double.”

“Or his clone,” Kai said.

“What?” All three men turned to stare at him.

“A clone of the Douji.” Kai pushed a button, and the plasglas tube retracted back into the ceiling. “According to records at all of the locations where Komou Sanzen is known to have lived, there is no evidence that he ever married, nor are there birth records of any children. Yet after he took over Three Baskets, there were suddenly mentions of a fifteen-year-old son.”

Gen stepped well away from the lighted floor tile and rubbed his elbow. “But I was there as a young child,” he insisted. “I grew up there.”

“As I mentioned earlier, Komou was a geneticist before he became a winemaker, and he was widely regarded as being one of the top scientists in the field. He was highly skilled at cloning, and one of his his specialties was the transfer and assignment of memory in clones.”

“No,” Gen said, even as his heart started thumping painfully in his chest.

Kai glanced down at his console. “Twelve years ago, two years before he took ownership of Three Baskets Vineyard, Komou was in the employ of Empress K’non as a consultant. He was hired to work with her science advisor, a former student of his named Uko.”

“That’s Uko.” Gen pointed at the spectacled man. “He used to visit us every now and then, years ago. My dad said he was another winemaker.” A memory rose to the surface of the turmoil in Gen’s mind; Uko’s first visit, when he was seventeen. Gen could clearly remember Komou introducing them, and he also remembered the quickly masked surprise on the man’s face. “You’ve got to be wrong,” he said. “We’ve had that vineyard all my life.”

Kai tapped a few keys, and the screens lit up with images of a scrubby, mountainous vineyard, and a sprawling stone greathouse. “Is this what you remember from your childhood?”

“Yes,” Gen replied. He walked over to the screens and pointed at the greathouse. “I used to run through the breezeways of the house in the summertime, and here”—Gen indicated an image of large, shallow wooden vats—“I used to stomp grapes here with my father and the other workers, right after harvest.” He jabbed at a picture of a tall, gnarled tree. “I climbed this tree! I used to climb up here and read, when I was done my chores.”

The glow of the screens reflected on Kai’s ocuglas, and made his expression inscrutable. He pressed a few more keys, and a second set of images appeared on the panels. “And what about this? Do you remember any of these places?”

Gen studied the montage. There was another hallway, this time high-ceilinged and made of marble, with rows of wide marble columns on each side. Another screen showed a large outdoor pond, its calm waters covered with flat, bright green leaves and plump, deep pink flowers. The last image was a garden, its trees blowing in the breeze, with thousands of tiny pink petals fluttering down to cover the immaculately kept lawns.

“I…” He wanted to say _No, I’ve never seen these places before,_ but the pictures _were_ familiar, in a dream-like way. “I think I used to hide behind those columns…” He reached over and touched the screen. “There was a man, he was a pain in the ass and always telling me what to do, and I liked to hide from him, just to get him riled up.”

“And the pond?”

Gen frowned as he concentrated on the picture. “There were large gold and black fish that lived in the pond, and I used to be allowed to feed them sometimes when I was a child.” He shook his head. “Wait. How could I be feeding fish in a pond _and_ stomping grapes in a vat? Or running down a stone breezeway and hiding behind a marble column?”

“Memory overlap,” Kai said. “These pictures are from the Empress’ palace on Tenkigh. Look at one more image, please.”

The screens went black for a second, and then they all lit up with one large image; rolling hills of red earth, and rows of grapevines that stretched out for miles. At the center was a large, wood and stone lodge that nestled amidst a stand of tall trees.

Gen traced the clay-tile roof of the lodge with shaking fingers. “This is my home… was.. my home.” He turned to look at Kai. “I don’t understand. How can I remember being in all three places?”

“This is the Three Baskets Estate and Vineyard, on Kinzaan,” Kai said, “or, it was before your would-be assassins set fire to a good portion of it. For the last twenty Standard years, Three Baskets has extracted the juice from its grapes by using wine presses.” A flurry of key taps, and the initial set of photos re-appeared across the screens. “This vineyard is _not_ Three Baskets. It was called Tasogee, and it employed the older, more traditional method of stomping grapes by foot in a wooden vat.” Kai paused, and then added, “It was the childhood home of Komou Sanzen.”

Gen’s hand clenched into a fist, and he slammed it against the screen closest to him, breaking it. “This is insane!”

“Hey!” Shaw shouted.

Gen pointed at Kai. “You’re out of your fucking mind. I am not a clone!” He pushed past Shaw and Gadget, and stomped up the metal mesh stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

Gen grabbed the bottle of liquor off the table and dropped into the nearest chair. His hand shook as he poured, and Gen cursed as the liquid splashed over the rim of his cup. He gulped down the contents, grimacing as it burned its way down his throat, and promptly refilled his cup. Gen didn’t know what he had really expected to find out about the attacks on the vineyard and the _Shakujou_ , but he certainly didn’t expect to be told be might be a _clone_. And a clone of a member of the Imperial household, no less.

It was ridiculous, Gen decided. He drained the second cup and poured some more, pleased to see that his hand wasn’t shaking nearly as bad as earlier.

Half the bottle was gone by the time the others returned, and Gen said nothing when Shaw took the bottle and poured a generous amount in his own cup. When Gadget walked behind his chair Gen felt the warm press of Gadget’s hand on his back. It lingered there for a few seconds, and then Gadget gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before he sat down at the table.

Kai pulled up a chair next to Gen. “I want to apologize, Gen,” he said. “I tend to get caught up in the information I discover, and I was insensitive. I’m sure you must find this very overwhelming.”

“You said ‘memory overlap.’” Gen ignored the apology and stared at his cup. “What did you mean by that?”

“I think that your memories of the vineyard were intended to replace another, earlier set—your memories of the Imperial palace at Tenkigh, “ Kai said. “But that original set seems to still be there in your mind, if only in fragments.“

Gen gripped the cup tightly. “Look, I remember living at that vineyard. I can tell you all kinds of details about it. I remember the feel of things, the smell of things.”

“Those memories are probably Komou’s, from his own childhood,” Kai said. “Tosengee doesn’t exist any more; Komou’s father sold the land over thirty years ago, and it was terraformed into a luxury resort. There is no possible way you could have lived there.”

Gen took a long swallow of liquor. “Even if you’re right, how does that make me a clone of the Empress’ nephew?”

“Besides looking like an exact copy of the man, except without all the long, pretty hair?” Shaw said from the other side of the table.

“I didn’t ask you, asshole.”

“Fuck you, stowaway.”

“Guys,” Gadget said.

Kai set a large datapad on the table, and after he tapped a few buttons a series of segmented bars appeared on the pad’s screen. “This is an image of the genetic sequence—a biological blueprint, shall we say—belonging to K’zen, Douji of Tenkigh.”

“I’m not gonna ask how you got that,” Shaw said.

“I wouldn’t answer if you did,” Kai replied. He slid a finger across the plasglas of the datapad, and a second image appeared below the first. “Gen, this second image is your genetic sequence, from the blood sample I took from you earlier.”

They were identical.

“Shit,” Gen said.

“This is just the beginning,” Kai said. “There was news about the Douji this past week; it seems that Lord K’zen fell gravely ill after his birthday celebration—some sort of poisoning is suspected—and his condition is serious enough that he will only recover if he receives a blood transfusion. Since I had seen those reports, I noticed your resemblance to him as soon as you boarded my ship. But there’s more.”

“Of course there is,” Gen said. The alcohol was dulling the edges of his shock and anger, and morbid curiosity was taking over.

“Watch your mouth,” Shaw said.

“It’s all right, Shaw,” Kai said. “I can’t begin to imagine what Gen is going through right now.” He rotated his chair to face Gen. “I make my living from information. I collect it, examine it, and attempt to perceive how various pieces of information fit together. You, Gen, seem to be at the center of a very tangled intersection that I had already started researching. The reports of K’zen’s illness came out earlier this week, and I also came across speculation that the Imperial physicians have been unable to locate a donor that shares K’zen’s blood type.” Kai touched the first image with his finger. “That tells me that the Empress’ nephew has something unique to his physiology that makes a regular transfusion impossible.”

He tapped the datapad, and a cluster of news reports appeared. “Also earlier this week, two laboratories that specialize in cloning development and research were destroyed by fire. These laboratories were on separate planets, and both had facilities for stasis storage.”

“’Stasis storage’?” Gen asked.

“Places where clones are kept in a dormant state, on a form of life support until such time as they are needed for organ harvesting. If the Douji had been cloned, it makes sense that there would be more than one, and that they would be kept in that kind of storage. But you, for some reason, were not with the others in stasis.”

_Organ harvesting._ Gen frowned at the liquid in his cup. He couldn’t imagine Koumou taking part in something like that.

Kai tapped once more on the pad’s surface. “One more thing happened earlier this week. There was a fire that destroyed the renowned Three Baskets Estate and Vineyard, and Komou Sanzen was among the dead—a man who once worked for the Empress as a genetic consultant.”

Gen shook his head. “Komou didn’t die in the fire,” he said. “He was killed by a blaster shot.” He told Kai about the conversation he’d overheard while hiding in the cargo pod.

Kai blinked at him, and then he reached over and touched Gen’s arm. “You are _very_ sure that you heard the name Litou?”

Gen nodded. “Yes, Litou and Uko were the names I heard. No surnames, though, so I don’t know if they were talking about my father’s friend Uko or not.” Thinking about it, Gen realized he never had known Uko’s surname.

“The coincidence is too great,” Kai said. “Uko Neejan is still the Empress’ science advisor, and Litou Tenn is the Chairman of the Imperial Council. Litou is a man of great ambition, and great cunning as well.”

“Uko knew about me,” Gen said. “Like I said before, he visited my father from time to time.”

“That would explain the assassins’ knowledge about you and your location. And, unfortunately, I think I can see where Litou would feel the need to kill Komou as well.”

“This is bad,” Shaw said. “This is very bad.”

Kai finished his now-cold tea and filled his cup with the rest of the liquor. “I concur. Gentlemen, I think we may have just uncovered a plot to depose Empress K’nnon. Her political position would be greatly weakened if she lost her only blood heir, and it appears that these two men have been doing their best to see that Lord K’zen never recovers.”

“Because if they kill off all his clones, he’ll never be able to get the transfusion he needs, right? He’ll die.”

Gen looked at Gadget with some surprise; he had assumed that Gadget had remained silent because he didn’t understand the complexities of the situation. But Gadget had clearly been paying attention.

“Yes, Gadget,” Kai said.

“If Gen really _is_ this guy’s clone, we should take him to the Empress,” Gadget said, and then he glanced at Gen and quickly added, “if that’s okay with you.”

“Tenkigh might be the safest place for you, Gen,” Kai said.

Gen shrugged.

“All this is making my head hurt,” Gadget said, and he reached for the liquor. “Hey, you guys drank it all,” he complained, waving the empty bottle.

“There’s more in the cabinet over there,” Kai said. “Bring out a few more bottles, I think we deserve it. And bring out the cards while I lay in a course for the Imperial palace at Tenkigh—if I start the jump now we’ll be there by mid morning tomorrow.”

Shaw laughed and said, “No better time to play ‘Oh Hell’, right?”


	8. Chapter 8

Gen didn’t think sleep would ever come.

The distraction of their surprisingly enjoyable evening of cards was gone, and the comfortable numbness of the liquor he’d imbibed had worn off an hour or more ago. Now Gen lay in the narrow bunk he shared with Gadget, and he listened to the rhythmic hum of the _Hakuryuu’s_ engines while sleep continued to elude him. Beside him, Gadget was quiet and still, but Gen couldn’t tell whether he was asleep or not. He stared at the curved bulkhead above him in the semi-darkness, and tried to calm the roiling thoughts that were clamoring in his head.

So much chaos in such a small space of time. Had it really been only six days since he had been in the vineyard, trimming vines and inspecting bunches of plump, ripening grapes? He could remember his father standing in the fields, wearing his ridiculous straw hat, waving at him with a pipe in his hand as he called him in for dinner. Later, they had watched the sun had paint the fields in shades of red and gold while they’d talked of the coming harvest, both of them excited because the new hybrid grapes that Komou had created would be ready by then. Gen had gone to bed looking forward to another day of sun and earth.

But in the dark of night he had awoken to fire, death, and madness that had yet to stop.

_Komou_. Gen shut his eyes, trying in vain to keep the memory of Komou’s death from replaying in his mind.

If what Kai claimed was true, then more than half of his life was a lie. _He_ was a lie. He was nothing more than a copy of another person, with implanted memories, and the father he was grieving for wasn’t his father. Komou was the man who had created that lie. Gen opened his eyes, and he held up his hand and stared at the dim outlines of his fingers.

_What was real any more?_

"Are you okay, Gen?"

Gen turned his head to see Gadget watching him, his eyes luminous and solemn. "It's just that... I remember everything so clearly, “ he replied. “I remember playing find-me in the wine barrels as a child, running races through the vines, and my fath—Komou and I stomping grapes at harvest. I have all those memories… and he was in them with me, doing all those things with me."

"He was your father, you can call him that."

Gen's lip curled, and he glared at the shadowy ceiling. "He was my _creator_. A scientist who made me from someone else's genetic material, and I was just another crop, like all those grapes."

The mattress dipped as Gadget shifted to face him. "You're wrong. I mean, you're right that he created you. But... he didn't leave you in stasis, like the other clones that died in the fires. When he left, he took you with him, to live with him. You were his family—his son."

There was a wistful note in Gadget's voice, and it made Gen remember their first conversation in the dark, only a few short days before. "You never knew your parents at all?"

Gadget shook his head. "Nope. I only remember a dark, dirty orphanage, with way too many kids and a bunch of old ladies that took care of us. Some of the ladies were nice, but most of them weren't, and I ran away after they locked me up one too many times. I lived on the streets after that." He tucked an arm under his pillow. "From what Kai said, you were probably made ten years ago, right? So that means that a lot of your memories are real—just not the ones from when you were little. It was probably easier on him to age you up."

Gen didn't reply, but the knot in his chest loosened a little.

"And you know what's cool? He cared enough about you to give you memories of a happy childhood, and he put himself in those memories. He let you grow up with him, even if it was only in your mind."

Gen rolled onto his side to face Gadget. “What a load of sentimental crap,” he said. He didn’t want to admit that the thought warmed him considerably.

Gadget’s teeth flashed bright in the semi-dark. “Sounds a lot better than your sorry-ass crap.”

Gen snorted and shook his head. “It’s all crap. This whole thing is fucking unreal.”

Gadget’s grin faded. “I’m real,” he whispered. He reached over and touched Gen’s chest. “And so are you.”

Gen felt the warmth of Gadget’s fingers seep through the thin fabric of his borrowed sleep shirt, and he watched the shadows on Gadget’s throat move as he swallowed. His gaze then focused on Gadget’s mouth, and when the tip of a dusky tongue darted out to moisten parted lips Gen felt heat flare in his groin.

He wanted to taste that mouth, and feel those lips under his.

Gadget was more than willing to meet him halfway. They exchanged rough, heated kisses, and Gadget shifted closer and tangled his fingers in Gen’s hair. His tongue slipped into Gen’s mouth, sloppy and wet and sexy as hell, and Gen was encouraged by the strangled sounds that escaped Gadget’s throat when he broke off their kiss to run his tongue along the angled edge of Gadget’s jaw.

“Oh, yeah,” Gadget said, tilting his head to allow Gen better access. “I’ve been wanting this for awhile.”

Gen pulled back and squinted at Gadget’s shadowed, smiling face. “Awhile? We’ve known each other for what, four days?”

Gadget’s smile widened. “I’ve wanted you since you walked out of my washroom wearing nothing but a towel.”

“Pervert.” Gen kissed him again, reveling in how Gadget arched against him in response, and the way Gadget’s breath hitched when Gen’s mouth moved along the ridge of his collarbones. Gen reached under Gadget’s sleep shirt to trace the knobby line of Gadget’s spine, trailing his hand down to slide over Gadget’s shorts and cup the curve of Gadget’s ass.

He was rewarded with a husky, colorful curse and a playful nip at his ear.

Gadget tugged at Gen’s shirt, pulling it up and over his head. His hands roamed over Gen’s chest, callused fingertips brushing over taut nipples before moving lower, _lower_ to press against Gen’s stiffening erection. Gen groaned and took Gadget’s mouth in a hard kiss, and when Gadget’s hand slipped beneath the waistband of Gen’s sleep-pants Gen forgot all about assassins, clones, and political plots.

_This_ was the only thing that mattered right now; Gadget’s warm hand stroking his dick, the velvet rasp of Gadget’s tongue sliding against his, and the delicious noises Gadget made when Gen took hold of Gadget’s hard, thick cock. Their hands bumped together, their panting breaths intermingling while they pleasured each other, slowly at first, and then faster as they brought each other closer to climax. Gen groaned as he shuddered and came, rocking against Gadget’s stroking hand. Gadget followed seconds later, muffling his moans against Gen’s throat while his release spurted over Gen’s fingers.

After a quick clean-up with Gen’s discarded sleep shirt, they shucked off the rest of their clothing. Gen rolled onto his back, his pulse still pounding in his ears, and while he caught his breath he enjoyed the aftershocks of pleasure that continued to spike through his body.

Gadget settled in next to him and pulled the sheet over their twined bodies. “Tell me that wasn’t real,” he murmured against Gen’s shoulder.

“Mmm.” Gen worked a hand under Gadget’s waist and pulled him closer. “Yeah, it was.”

He felt Gadget’s mouth curve in a smile.


	9. Chapter 9

Gadget woke to the soft sound of a tinkling chime, and when he opened his eyes he saw that the corners of the ceiling above him were tinged with a pale, pinkish-yellow light. _Just like dawn,_ he thought. He loved waking up on the _Hakuryuu;_ Kai had tweaked a number of the ship’s system environment settings, and Gadget found he slept better on Kai’s ship than anywhere else in the galaxy.

Beside him, Gen was still asleep.

It was hard to leave the bunk. Gen’s naked body was warm against his, and Gadget was tempted to slip under the covers and suck Gen off, to listen to his moans of pleasure and feel Gen’s body move beneath his hands. But Gadget could hear the muffled sounds of Kai and Shaw moving around in the ship’s common room, so he decided he might as well get up. He brushed his mouth against the sweaty skin of Gen’s shoulder, and then he eased off the bunk and padded barefoot to the washroom.

He showered quickly, careful to use as little water as possible, and then he fished through his pack for a change of clothes. For a second he stared at the bag, at the shirt in his hand, and he realized that the pack of clothing in front of him and the case of tools next to their bunk were the sole remains of his possessions.

The _Shakujou_ was gone, and everything with it.

“Stop it,” he told himself, before melancholy could set in. “You’ve been without before, and it’s just stuff.” He glanced back through the washroom door at Gen, who had curled up under the covers. “He’s got it worse than I do.” Gadget quietly finished dressing and went to join the others.

“Hey, man,” Shaw greeted him. “About time you got your ass out of bed.” He put a steaming mug of coffee at one of the empty places at the table. “Your roomie’s still asleep?”

“Yup,” Gadget said, and then he yawned and shuffled over to fill a plate with an assortment of fresh fruit and sweet rolls. Eating well was another benefit of staying on the _Hakuryuu;_ Kai always kept his fridge units full of fresh food.

Maybe he should see if Kai wanted an assistant. He chuckled at the thought and dug into his breakfast.

He was halfway through his second plate when Gen joined them, looking damn fine in a pair of Kai’s slacks and a borrowed button-down shirt. Kai waved a hand at the food-laden tray over on the side console, and Gadget watched while Gen poured himself a mug of coffee and carried a small plate of sliced fruit back to the table. Their eyes met, and Gadget was both pleased and relived to see a flicker of heat in Gen’s gaze.

“Good morning, Gen,” Kai said from behind his cup of tea. “I hope you slept well?”

Gen nodded as he sat down. “Thanks for the clothes,” he said, and he drank some of his coffee.

“You’re welcome. I thought they would fit you better than Shaw’s things, and they look nicer, too.”

“Hey, now,” Shaw said.

Kai ignored him. “Earlier this morning, I managed to acquire the frequency and access codes to the Empress’ private vidcomm channel,” he said. “I think we should try and speak with her.”

Gen almost choked on his coffee. “We’re going to comm the Empress, just like that? And how the hell did you get those codes?”

Shaw grinned. “Told you he’s good.”

“You’re better off not knowing, Gen,” Kai said. “Plausible deniability and all that.” He bit into a slice of fruit. “And yes, I think we should contact her. She needs to be made aware of the enemies in her midst, and if my theory about you is correct, you are in a unique position to help her ailing nephew and heir.”

“For which she’ll be grateful,” Shaw said. “Monetarily grateful. Give-me-another-ship grateful.”

“Imperial connections grateful,” Kai added.

“All right, all right,” Gen said, holding up a hand to stop them. “I know I owe you both.”

Shaw leaned back in his chair and peered over at Gen. “Looks like you owe Gadget too, judging by that love-bite on your neck. Kid, you move fast.”

“S-shut up, Shaw,” Gadget sputtered. He’d have to be more careful next time, or Gen wasn’t going to let him kiss him like that again.

_Next time._ He sure hoped there would be a next time.

Kai set his empty cup on the table. “If everyone could finish up, I think I should attempt to get through on that vidcomm channel,” he said. “We’ll be within range of Tenkigh’s security systems within the hour, and it would be better to be expected guests when we reach the outer checkpoint. We’ll use my office.”

Gadget helped clear the table, and when he finished loading the dishes into the wash unit he joined the others. Kai’s ‘office’ had started out as one of the ship’s staterooms, but a few years ago Gadget had helped him modify it to be his main communications center, as well as a place to conduct business. When Gadget entered the room, he noticed that Kai had moved two of the chairs next to the large screen that dominated the wall immediately to his left. Gen and Shaw sat in those chairs, and Kai was seated behind his desk, opposite the screen.

“Could you stay over there, Gadget?” Kai asked. “I’d like the three of you—Gen especially—to remain out of direct view.”

“Sure,” Gadget said.

“Here we go, then,” said Kai, and he started typing at his console.

From his spot by the door, Gadget could see rows of code flowing across the screen, and then seconds later a vidcomm interface appeared, with a white access box that blinked on top of the image. Kai checked his datapad and entered a lengthy code sequence. The box blinked green, then disappeared.

There was silence for a few moments, and then the vidcomm showed a gray haired man wearing an ornate houseman’s uniform. He glared at Kai through the vid interface. “Who are you?” he demanded. “How did you get access to the Empress’ private channel?”

Kai sat up straight in his seat, and bent his head in an informal bow. “My name is Kai Gonocho. I would like to request a communication with Empress K’non regarding an important Imperial family artifact.” He reached over and tapped a few keys. “I am uploading my bona fides now.”

The man glanced at a console to the side of his screen, and then he frowned at Kai. “This is highly irregular. What could you possibly have that would interest the Empress?”

“Would you please inform Her Radiance that I have come into possession of a hitherto undiscovered cask of her family’s wine?”

The man stared back at Kai, open-mouthed. “Wine?”

“Yes, wine,” Kai said. “Please tell her that it came from the renowned Three Baskets Vineyard on Kinzaan. A… golden wine.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” the man huffed, “and I most certainly will not trouble the Great Lady—”

“Please.” Kai leaned forward. “It is of utmost importance that this cask of wine is returned to her, it could have very therapeutic qualities for members of her family. All I ask is that you give her my exact message. If she chooses to not speak with me, then I will desist.”

“Very well.” The vidcomm switched over to the Imperial sigil.

Kai leaned back in his chair.

“Kai, what was all that crap about wine?” Shaw asked.

“Well, I certainly can’t tell him the truth over a potentially hacked channel. While we suspect that Uko and Litou know about the existence of the Douji’s clones, there may be other people involved. We don’t want to blatantly show our hand.” Kai checked his wristpad. “Should be any second now…”

The screen flickered back to life, and a woman’s image filled the vidcomm. She looked tired and disheveled, and her breasts threatened to escape the confines of a hastily tied, embroidered robe.

“Great Lady! It is scandalous for you to let yourself be seen this way! And all of this is highly—”

“Shut up, Jiro,” she said, and she pushed a wild tangle of black ringlets away from her face. She pointed at Kai. “This better be good, kiddo—you woke me up from a marvelous dream. And it’s very naughty of you to hack into my private comm channel like this. Jiro is now having a conniption, and he’s a pain in my ass when he gets that way. Show me this wine.”

Gadget noticed that when the Empress spoke, Gen’s expression tightened. Did he recognize her voice?

Kai hesitated. “Great Lady, I’m afraid I cannot show you the actual cask, for fear of… competitors learning of my find and destroying it, as happened earlier this week to other discoveries of the same vintage. Yesterday, the freighter carrying this wine cask was attacked and destroyed by these competitors. While your private channel _is_ very secure, I was able to gain access, and others may have as well. Who knows who might be sharing our conversation?”

She scowled at him. “You have to give me _something_ , handsome, or this conversation is over.”

Kai folded his hands in his lap. “This particular grape was cultivated by Winemaster Komou himself.” His gaze flicked over Gen, who was seated against the opposite wall, scowling, out of the screen’s view. “The wine is a golden flax in color, pale, with notes of violet in the bouquet.”

The Empress leaned forward, her attention focused keenly on Kai. “Tell me more.”

“It is a ten-year-old vintage, although its appearance would lead you to believe it is in its mid twenties. Its taste is somewhat tart and sharp—”

“Hey, asshole,” Gen protested, rising from his seat, “who are you calling—”

Shaw clapped a hand over Gen’s mouth while Gadget darted over and pushed him back down. “Shut up,” Shaw hissed, “he knows what he’s doing.”

At the sound of Gen’s voice, the Empress’ expression completely changed. 

“I… I believe you have indeed found one of my missing… wine casks,” she said, raising a trembling hand to grip the neckline of her robe. “Bring hi—bring it to me, immediately. It is a priceless vintage. And then you will tell me everything you know about these… competitors.”

Kai nodded a bow. “Yes, Great Lady.”

“And we need to talk about my ship,” Shaw added loudly from his seat next to the screen. “My destroyed ship.”

“All of you will be compensated for your trouble. Jiro will send you encoded instructions in a few moments; you were clever enough to get through to me here, so you’ll have no trouble deciphering it.” The screen flashed back to the sigil, and then winked out.

Shaw stretched out in his chair. “Kai, that was fucking brilliant,” he said. 

“Thank you,” Kai said, and he pressed a button to close up the vidscreen.

Gadget frowned. “I still don’t get why Kai was talking about wine. Weren’t we supposed to tell her that we found Gen?”

Shaw laughed. “He just did, you moron. _Gen_ is the wine. We couldn’t risk having his pretty face on-screen.”

“Oh,” Gadget said, still frowning.

“Fuck you, Shaw,” Gen muttered.

“She recognized his voice, though,” Kai commented. “I wonder if he sounds like the Douji, too.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Shaw said. He pointed at a blinking commlink button on Kai’s console. “That’s probably the instructions from her minion.”

“I doubt that it will take very long to decrypt,” Kai said.

“Yeah, she hasn’t met you. You’ll probably have it done by the time we reach the checkpoint.”

“Don’t be insulting,” Kai said. “I’ll have it ready in less than fifteen minutes.” He tapped a command to load the file into his console, and then scrambled letters, number and symbols filled the smaller monitor screen on his desk. “Gadget, why don’t you make another pot of coffee? I think I’ll have a cup this time,” he said, and his fingers began to move in a flurry over the keyboard. “I’ll meet you all in the common room when I’m done here.” 

“Okay,” Gadget said. He nudged Shaw on his way to the door. “Betcha he has it done before the coffee is ready.”

“No way. You’re on, lover-boy.”

“You’re both morons,” Gen muttered, and he pushed between them and went ahead into the common room.

Gadget laughed. He and Shaw followed Gen in to the common room, and Gadget busied himself with making the coffee.

The machine coughed its final drops of the fragrant brew just as Kai set his datapad on the table. “Crap,” Shaw said, and Kai just smiled while Gadget set a mug on the table in front of him.

“We’re all set,” Kai said. “I have all the checkpoint codes, and she also provided me with a specific route to take to her reception chamber once we reach the Imperial complex. She will have guards at certain locations, and she gave me the correct security sequences to enter into their datapads.”

Gadget carefully sipped at his hot coffee. “That’s a lot of stuff to do,” he said. “Can’t she just tell her people to expect us?”

“This takes care of the possibility that others may have intercepted our communication. Someone else could show up and claim that the Empress gave them clearance, but we are the only ones with the encrypted instructions; it’s a way for her to verify that I am the person she spoke to.”

“Oh,” Gadget said. “What do you think will happen when we get there?”

Kai leaned back in his chair, holding his mug in both hands. “Well, I imagine that she will ask Gen to let them take some of his blood.” He glanced over at Gen. “You’re still okay with all of this?” 

Gen was silent for a few moments, and then he nodded. “I think you’re right; it’s probably the best place to be until this mess is over, and it’s a chance to get Shaw and Gadget another ship.” He looked down at his cup. “I can’t spend my life running.”

A chime rang on the bridge. “Time for us to jump back down to sub-light speed,” Kai said. “Shall we adjourn to the bridge?”


	10. Chapter 10

_ _

 

_The Imperial Palace of Her Serene Radiance, Empress K’non_  
Height: 2.3 km • Area: 1.8 sq. km  
Buildings: 114 • Rooms: 10,423  
Gardens: 3 • Landing Bays: 2 • Courtyards: 15  
Servants: 5,000 • Security personnel: 1,200

  
* * *

  
They spent the next hour going through the four security checkpoints that monitored space traffic coming to and from Tenkigh. It was a tense, lengthy process, even with the codes provided by the Empress, and Gadget decided he was never going to complain again about the shipping checkpoints that he and Shaw had to deal with. When they finally cleared the fourth checkpoint, Kai laid in the coordinates for the Imperial complex. “This should take us to the landing bay at the rear of the complex,” he said. “Normally, it’s reserved for use by the Empress and high-ranking members of her staff, as well as the Council, so it won’t be too crowded.”

Gadget craned his neck to peer at the landscape below them. Tenkigh—this part of it, anyway—was beautiful, with lush forests and rolling hills of green as far as he could see. Far to his left he could see the misty outline of mountains, and to his right, the hazy blue of an ocean. A few minutes later he saw the white spires of the capital city appear ahead of them, and Gadget thought it looked like something out of the stories the nicer ladies used to read to them when he was small.

They waited another half hour at a final checkpoint, just outside the city.

“Not too far, now,” Kai said, as the security guard cleared their entrance. He indicated a walled section of the city. “That’s the Imperial complex, which is built around the Empress’ palace. I’ve heard that the trees there have been modified to bloom all year around.”

Gadget looked where Kai was pointing, and his breath caught at the sea of pink-blossomed trees that dotted the palace grounds. “Wow,” he said. He glanced back at Gen, who had a peculiar expression on his face. “Do you recognize this place, Gen?”

“I… think so,” Gen said. He stared out the window at the sea of pink and green beneath them.

Kai reduced speed and banked to the right, taking the _Hakuryuu_ around the palace and toward the rear landing bay. As they flew over the palace gardens, Gadget recognized the large pond beneath them as the same one that Kai had shown to Gen the day before.

The rear of the complex was drab and utilitarian, and the landing port dominated the smaller buildings that flanked it. A dozen circular, sunken bays honeycombed the main landing area, and all but one of them had their metal mesh covers in place. The edge of the open twelfth bay glowed green, and Kai headed for it, carefully slowing and decreasing altitude until the _Hakuryuu_ had completely descended inside it. Moments later, they touched down on its landing pad.

“Well, gentlemen, here we are,” Kai said. They all undid their restraints and headed for the starboard access port. Kai paused in front of the hatch. “Just follow my lead,” he said, and he held up his datapad. “I have our remaining security clearances here, as well as a map of the route we are to take. Unfortunately, we will be not be permitted to carry any weapons, so we might as well leave them here.”

“Shit,” Shaw said, and he unbuckled the holster that held his blaster and hung it up in a nearby alcove.

“Gadget?” Kai pointed at his multi-pocketed pants.

Gadget took out the pocket knife and multi-tool that was his constant companion. “Like I can do anything with this.”

Shaw poked him. “Bro, I’ve seen what you can do with that knife when someone pisses you off. Put it with my holster.”

“All right,” he grumped. “What about Kai?”

“I don’t carry weapons, Gadget,” Kai said.

“That’s because he _is_ a weapon,” Shaw said.

“Now, Shaw, one mustn’t repeat rumors,” Kai said, and he opened the hatch and descended the small set of metal steps that had extended beneath the doorway.

“You notice he didn’t deny it,” Shaw said as he followed Kai. Gadget let Gen go next, and then he exited, pulling the hatch shut behind him, and then he fell into step beside Gen. As they walked out from under the ship, Gadget could hear the slowing whine of the _Hakuryuu’s_ engines, and when they stepped into the bright sunlight that streamed into the bay Gadget raised a hand to shield his eyes while he peered ahead, searching for the exit.

Two men were standing by a wide, open doorway. The taller of the two was dressed in long, heavy robes of rich red fabric that was embroidered with golden thread. A thick chain of hammered gold hung in front of his robes from shoulder to shoulder, and the chain links clinked as he and the other man walked over to where Gadget and the others stood.

“Good afternoon,” the tall man said. “I am Litou Tenn, Chairman of the Imperial Council. The Empress informed me of your arrival and asked me to personally escort you all to her private chambers. Would everyone come with me, please?”

Litou! Litou was one of the bad guys! And what he was saying was different from what Kai had said was going to happen. Gadget opened his mouth to say something when Kai gave a sharp shake of his head. He saw Kai glance down and when Gadget followed his gaze he watched Kai pat the back of his datapad with his fingers.

_’We are the only ones with the encrypted instructions,’_ Kai had said earlier.

Gadget suddenly realized that the verification worked both ways; Litou meeting them was wrong, and so was the place Litou said he was taking them to. _The Empress wouldn’t have changed things,_ Gadget thought, _so all this is a lie, a trap._ Gadget gave Kai a small nod to show he understood.

This was bad. He had to figure out a way to get Gen away from Litou.


	11. Chapter 11

Litou led them into the lower level of the Imperial complex, and they followed him down a long, featureless corridor. The clack of their footsteps echoed off the gray, cement walls and floor as they walked past dozens of closed, windowless doors. The other man, who Litou introduced as his aide, trailed behind them.

_Aide, my ass,_ Gen thought. He wasn’t all that politically savvy, but he didn’t think that an aide to the Chairman of the Imperial Council should look like he could bend steel with his bare hands.

Kai did most of the talking, going on in great detail about his ‘extraordinary find’ and how perhaps the Empress could be persuaded to share some of the ‘rare vintage’ with Chairman Tenn.

The Chairman played right along, exclaiming how eager he was to sample such a rare wine.

Gen could see that Shaw and Gadget were just as tense as he was; they were all playing a dangerous game, pretending not to know that they were being led into captivity. Gadget stuck close to Gen’s side, and—thankfully—kept his mouth shut.

“I never dreamed that the lower levels of the Imperial palace was so labyrinthine,” Kai said, gesturing at the seemingly endless hallways that they passed. “I sure I could never find my way back out without your guidance, Chairman. Don’t you agree, Gadget?”

“Hunh? Oh, yeah,” Gadget said. “I’m lost already.”

Gen frowned at the seeming non sequitur, but a few moments later he noticed that Gadget was moving differently. It was subtle enough that neither of their would-be captors caught on, but five days of close—and intimate—contact with Gadget allowed Gen to see that he was now acting more _aware_ of his surroundings, more… ready. Some sort of instruction had been given and received, and Gen wondered how many times these three men had been in a tough scrape together.

Gadget stumbled into him, brushing against his side. “Sorry,” he said. “My boots aren’t made for this kind of floor.”

Gen glanced over at him, ready to make a smart remark, when he saw Gadget’s lips move.

_Run_ , Gadget mouthed. _Now_. Then, with a loud curse, he elaborately tripped and sprawled on the concrete floor right in front of Litou and the other man.

Gen hesitated for a second, and then he ran.

He ignored the uproar that ensued behind him, and sprinted down the corridor. At the next intersection Gen veered off to the right, and when he encountered a stairway Gen took the stairs two, three at a time. He continued running down the new passage, barely noticing that the floor beneath him was now marble instead of concrete. At random spots he turned left, right, right, and then he turned a corner and stopped, his mouth dropping open at the sight before him.

He stood at one end of a long, high-ceilinged hallway, made of pink and white marble, with rows of wide, fluted columns on each side. 

_It’s real._

Gen stared at the ornate corridor for a few seconds, and then he began to run again. But this time, his feet knew where to go, and his turns weren’t random any longer. He passed a number of servants, some who gasped and exclaimed, “Lord K’zen! You’re recovered!” and others who merely gaped at him as he went by. Up another staircase, this one made of elaborately turned wood, and soon the floor under Gen’s feet turned from hard marble to thick, lush carpeting. He finally stopped in front of a closed, intricately carved set of doors.

A handpad blinked red above the door’s curved handle. Gen placed his palm against the gray plas of the reader, and the light changed to green. He opened the door and went inside.

He found himself standing in the foyer of a luxurious suite of rooms. 

An odd sense of nostalgia washed over Gen as he walked through the rooms. The first was a large sitting-room that had a side dining area, a fireplace, and enough seating to entertain at least half a dozen guests—although Gen knew guests were seldom invited, and when they were it was grudgingly. The next room was a study, filled floor-to-ceiling with books, and as Gen scanned the titles he recognized many that he had added to the library he had shared with his father at the vineyard. He passed by a spacious bathroom, tiled with tiny, iridescent tiles that formed breathtaking mosaic designs. The sunken bath was almost big enough to swim in.

At the end of the hallway Gen saw double doors the he knew led to the bedroom. Gen paused at the door, his hand hovering over the handle, and then he turned the know and quietly entered the room.

A man lay in the bed, asleep, propped up by a small army of pillows to recline against the scrolled headboard. His long, golden-blond hair was plaited and hung across one shoulder. Beneath a fall of shining bangs Gen saw a pale face, with sunken cheeks and dark smudges beneath the man’s closed eyes. 

Gen knew what color those eyes would be. He stood next to the bed, swaying slightly as he caught his breath, and watched the sleeping man’s chest rise and fall.

“You and your friends have caused quite a commotion. I thought that I might find you here.”

Gen started and turned to see a woman standing in the doorway. She had long, blue-black hair that cascaded in ringlets over her shoulders, and her garments were so sheer they left practically nothing to the imagination. It was the woman he had seen on the screens in Kai’s ship.

The Empress.

For a few seconds they stared wordlessly at each other. “Look at you,” she said, as she walked slowly toward him. “You’re younger than I expected.” A dozen bracelets jangled as she reached out to touch Gen’s cheek.

Gen batted her hand away. He expected her to be angry at the rebuff, but he was surprised when she merely laughed.

“I suppose I deserved that, because you don’t know me, do you?” She tilted her head and regarded him. “Or do you?”

A swirl of memories rose within Gen, of days spent with her in the gardens, of mornings feeding the fish, and her relentless teasing. “Aunt K’non,” he said.

Her expression faltered then, and her eyes became suspiciously bright. “Yes, darling.” She gestured at the still figure in the bed. “This is your… brother. Will you help him? We need some of your blood, so that he can recover.”

“He’s been poisoned,” Gen said.

“Yes, we think so.”

“By Litou.”

She gasped. “Litou! Why would you think that?”

“The men who tried to kill me spoke his name,” Gen said, “and they also mentioned a man named Uko.” He told her about the information that Kai had collected.

The Empress sank down onto the edge of the bed. “Uko… all the gods, I told Uko you were coming here!”

“And Uko must have told Litou, because Litou met us at the landing bay, claiming that you had sent him. He tried to take us somewhere different than where you had instructed us to go.”

She looked up at him. “But you got away, you clever boy.”

“Because of my friends.” The word sounded rusty on Gen’s tongue. “But they are still with him.”

Her expression turned grim. “Those two traitors need to be found, now. Jiro!” she shouted.

A man appeared at the bedroom door, the same gray-haired man they had seen on Kai’s vidcomm screen. “Yes, Great Lady?” He saw Gen and visibly started. “One of the clones? Here?”

“Yes, thank the gods. Now, I need you to have Litou and Uko detained on my Imperial order, as well as any of Litou’s associates.”

“For what reason, Great Lady?”

“For the attempted murder of my nephew, the Douji,” the Empress said, “as well as for conspiring to overthrow my reign. Go now, and also make sure that Kai Gonocho and his companions are safe.”

Jiro bobbed a hasty bow and left. Less than a minute later, sirens and alarms started going off throughout the palace.

Gen turned back toward the bed. “So I really am a clone, then,” he said, his gaze never leaving the face that looked so much like his own.

“Yes, dearest.” The Empress touched his arm. “Will you help him? Please?”

“Yes,” Gen said. “But when he recovers, I want to meet him. And you must tell him—and me—everything.”


	12. Chapter 12

The next ship, Gadget decided, needed to have a bathtub. Because baths were _awesome_.

After pushing all the different buttons at the small pool’s steps, Gadget found a setting that activated a number of waterjets along the sides and bottom. He sniffed at the contents of a cluster of glass bottles that sat in a tray on one side, selected one, and then poured some of its fragrant oil into the water. He sighed contentedly as bursts of water pulsed against his sore muscles, and he sank further down in the tiled bath until the hot, scented water bubbled just beneath his chin.

“I’ll build one of these on the next ship,” he promised himself. 

He wished Gen was in there with him. 

By the time the Empress’ guards had arrested Litou and his henchman, Gen and the Douji had already been taken to the Imperial Complex’s medical wing. Gadget was still a little fuzzy on the details of what procedures were done—he had stopped listening after long needles started being discussed—but later that night they were told that all was well and that K’zen was expected to fully recover. 

But that night, Gen didn’t return to the suite of rooms that had been assigned to them, so Gadget assumed the doctors had needed more than just a little of Gen’s blood. He had spent the night in Gen’s bed, and Gadget was surprised at how empty the bed had felt without Gen in it. The fact that it was also the biggest bed he had ever slept in was secondary.

The next morning was taken up with meetings with the Empress’ security personnel, answering questions about the attack on the _Shakujou_ , as well as everything that had happened since their landing on Tenkigh. Kai spent the afternoon going over his findings with the Empress and a few high-ranking members of the Council, while Gadget and Shaw had amused themselves with playing cards and watching vids until Kai joined them for dinner. 

Now it was evening again, and still no Gen. 

Bored with playing cards, Gadget had decided to check out the luxurious bath, a room that was almost three times the size of his entire living quarters on the _Shakujou_. Now, while he soaked in what would have been a month’s worth of water, Gadget reflected that he’d come a long way from the grubby street-rat he’d been on Bel’een all those years ago.

The _click_ of the main door of the suite opening jolted Gadget from his thoughts.

“—Just get me off this goddamn hover-chair, I told you I didn’t need it. I’m fine.”

“Master Gen, the Empress was very insistent that I not allow you to walk back to your rooms.”

_Gen!_ Gadget breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, you did what she told you to do, so now you can leave me alone.”

“Very well, Master Gen—”

“Just Gen, Jiro.”

“I… I hope you have a restful evening, young sir. Good night.”

Gadget heard the door shut, and the soft scuffs of Gen’s footsteps on the suite’s thick carpeting. He figured he’d better let Gen know he wasn’t alone. “Hey, Gen,” he called.

A few seconds later Gen stood in the doorway. “So I get poked and prodded for hours on end, and here you are, taking a bath.”

“I’ve never had a _real_ bath before,” Gadget replied with a grin, “just showers with reclaimed water. I can practically swim in here!” He was about to suggest that Gen join him when Gen started tugging at the ties on the pale blue medical tunic that he wore. Gadget’s grin widened, and he leaned back and enjoyed the show. He’d seen Gen naked before, but it was different now; his hands and mouth had traversed the length and breadth of the slender, yet muscular chest that was under that tunic, and when Gen stepped out of the loose-fitting pants Gadget’s gaze was drawn to the curve of Gen’s ass, the jut of a hipbone, and the cock that he’d had in his hand only a few nights earlier.

A smirk played along the corner of Gen’s mouth as he undressed, and it told Gadget that Gen was well aware of the direction of Gadget’s gaze.

Gen groaned as he stepped down into the churning water. “Fuck, this feels good,” he said, sitting opposite Gadget.

‘You okay?”

“Yeah.” Gen sank lower in the water and closed his eyes. “They took some blood and bone marrow—not just to give to K’zen now, but to keep some on hand for him in case he needs it later. Apparently those two bastards had been planning this for awhile, and Uko had managed to mess with K’zen just enough to make it impossible for him to receive any blood but his own.”

“Wow,” Gadget said. “You totally saved his life.”

Gen poked Gadget’s leg with his toe. “ _You_ saved his life. You and Shaw did, because you saved mine.”

The enormity of Gen’s words made Gadget feel a little dizzy. Because he had helped a stowaway, because Shaw hadn’t insisted on taking him back to Kinzaan, because they hadn’t done the unthinkable and given Gen over to his pursuers… the Empress’ nephew and heir was alive and recovering from his poisoning. “Wow,” he repeated. A stray thought occurred to him, and he frowned. “They’re not gonna make you stay here, are they?”

Gen shook his head. “No. The Empress is making noise about wanting me to stay, but I don’t _have_ to if I don’t want to.”

“Will you?” Gadget had to admit, it would be a very tempting offer—the living quarters alone were pretty epic.

A tiny frown appeared between Gen’s eyebrows, and he opened his eyes and regarded Gadget “I… don’t know.”

“Will you go back to—”

“No,” Gen said emphatically, shaking his head again. “I don’t think I can go back to the vineyard. It was destroyed, for one thing, and my life there was a lie.”

Gadget could see his point. After all that he’d been through. it was probably better for Gen to have a fresh start. “You could come with us,” he said, and he tried to keep his tone casual.

Gen snorted. “I think Shaw would have an issue with that.”

“Not as much as you’d think,” Gadget said, noting that Gen had not outright refused. 

“I’m not a pilot, or a mechanic,” Gen pointed out. “I’m a winemaker. And even then, half my time was spent selling and distributing the wine, not making it.”

“Shaw had to learn how to fly the _Shakujou,_ ” Gadget said. “The idea to do freight work didn’t occur to him until after he won the ship. And me, well, I’m good at fixing things.” He gave Gen a poke with his own toe. “I bet you would be good at getting good customers. Shaw can come across a little… shady, sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

Gadget poked him again. “He’s a good guy. He keeps—uh, kept—the ship filled up pretty well, but I know we can get better stuff to move. Not all the bulky, heavy shit that takes up all our weight allowance and eats up our fuel.”

“Hn.” Gen closed his eyes again.

A companionable silence fell between them, punctuated only by the burbling of the water in the bathing pool. Gadget decided not to press the issue further; he had made the suggestion—and the implicit invitation that accompanied it—and now he would leave it alone. Nice thing about running a freight route was that you tended to visit places on a regular basis, and if Gen wanted to see him again Gadget could definitely make it happen.

The fact that they were both naked in a way-oversized bathtub gave Gadget hope that Gen would want to see him again. Gadget smiled and let his eyelids slide shut.

“Gadget.”

Gadget opened his eyes to see Gen watching him, and there was something in Gen’s gaze that made heat pool in his groin. “Yeah?”

“Come here.”

Gadget kind of liked the commanding tone in Gen’s voice. He had the feeling that he was finally seeing Gen as he really was, when people weren’t chasing him halfway across the galaxy trying to kill him. He floated over to join Gen, pleased when Gen pulled him closer. As he straddled Gen’s lap, his already hard dick brushed against Gen’s stomach, and then Gadget discovered that Gen was just as hard.

“Looks like this is the second time you’ve saved my ass,” Gen said, and he trailed his fingertips down the knobby ridge of Gadget’s spine.

Gadget shivered at the caress. “Well, I had to do something,” he said. “It’s a really nice ass.”

Gen snorted.

“And I think today was actually the third time,” Gadget added, “if you count me getting you off the _Shakujou_ before it blew up.” 

“Keeping count, are we?” Gen slid his hands down to cup Gadget’s ass, pulling Gadget against him while he took Gadget’s mouth in a hot, wet kiss.

Gadget had no reply. He didn’t think he could speak coherently if he had one anyway; Gen’s tongue was in his mouth, wreaking havoc with his senses, and he was completely distracted by the delicious way their dicks bumped together. Gadget vaguely heard bottles clinking, and he groaned when oil-slicked fingers teased at his hole.

Yeah, he definitely liked this version of Gen. 

Minutes later, Gadget was bent over one edge of the bathing pool, leaning on his elbows while Gen gripped his hips and fucked him with hard, deep thrusts that made the bathwater spill over the rim in rhythmic waves. Their ragged breaths echoed off the tiled walls, punctuated by sloshing water and Gadget’s moans of pleasure that he made no effort to muffle.

Gen’s hand closed around Gadget’s aching dick, tugging and stroking in time with each thrust of Gen’s hips. That tipped Gadget over the edge, and when he shuddered and came he heard Gen’s husky groan as Gen followed him into climax.

_Definitely having one of these in the next ship,_ Gadget thought as he tried to catch his breath, and he pressed his forehead against the cool tile.

Gen eased out, and then they spent some time actually bathing, exchanging leisurely kisses while they soaped up and rinsed and kissed some more before finally shutting off the jets and stepping out of the pool. 

“Wow, we made a mess,” Gadget said. Water was everywhere.

“That’s what tile is for,” Gen said, grabbing a towel off a nearby hook.

Gadget was just about to reach for one as well when Gen pulled him close, enveloping him in the soft, nubby fabric. Their mouths met again, rough and hungry, and Gadget felt the press of a hardening erection against his hip.

“Bed this time,” Gen murmured against his mouth, dropping the towel.

Gadget grabbed one of the bottles of bath oil and followed him into the bedroom. He gave Gen a playful push onto the bed and then climbed on top of him, kissing Gen hungrily while he made good use of the oil. 

Then Gen was shifting him onto his back, moving between his spread legs, pushing his hard, thick cock into Gadget’s eager, willing body. It was so much better this way, Gadget thought; as good as it had felt earlier when Gen had taken him from behind, Gadget wanted to be able to see that beautiful face, and not only enjoy being fucked, but enjoy watching _Gen’s_ pleasure as well. 

Gadget circled his thumbs over the taut nubs of Gen’s nipples, and he was rewarded with a groan and a couple of rough, deep thrusts. “Oh, yeah,” Gadget panted, and he canted up his hips and hooked his legs around Gen’s waist. “Just like that. Keep fucking me like that.”

“Don’t blame me if you can’t walk tomorrow,” Gen growled against his throat.


	13. Chapter 13

Two nights later, Gen and the others were invited to attend a small dinner in the Imperial Douji’s suite. 

K’non practically pushed Gen onto a richly upholstered settee that sat next to her nephew’s chair, formally introducing the two men in a rush of oddly nervous chatter before she left them to greet Shaw, Kai, and Gadget. Jiro, resplendent in his uniform, stood quietly off to the side, and out of the corner of his eye Gen noticed the old man’s gaze flicking back and forth between him and K’zen.

Gen shifted, trying unsuccessfully to find a more comfortable spot while he took in his luxurious, unnervingly familiar settings. 

Every chair in K’zen’s sitting-room was filled, and a small feast was laid on a dining table that had been set up in the corner of the room. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and light from dozens of flickering candles danced on the walls and ceiling.

Gen wondered if this was the first time the room had truly fulfilled its purpose. He glanced over at his host, who seemed just as uncomfortable as he felt. 

K’zen certainly looked better than when Gen had first seen him, although his face was still pinched with fatigue. It was his first day of being fully dressed and out of his bed, and he sat somewhat stiffly in the chair next to Gen’s, rolling his eyes when K’non insisted on draping a coverlet over his legs.

“I think she just keeps me around so she has someone to dress up,” K’zen said to Gen as soon as the Empress was out of earshot. He tugged at the high collar of his brocade jacket, and then he eyed Gen’s silk tunic and pants. “I see she got to you, too.”

“Yeah,” Gen said. He ran his fingers over the smooth, gleaming fabric of his jacket sleeve. “Not really my style—I’m used to woven pants and a plain shirt.”

“How different we are, even though we are the same.” K’zen reached over and took Gen’s hand in his. “Your hands show years of hard, honest work,” he said, brushing his thumb over a scar on one of Gen’s knuckles. He then turned their hands over, revealing smooth, unmarked fingers with neatly manicured nails. “Mine reflect years of wealth, privilege and… boredom.” K’zen released Gen’s hand, and then his gaze met Gen’s. “Thank you for what you did, and I’m sorry about everything that happened to you—and Komou. I remember meeting Komou when I was younger,” he said. “I had been very ill, and he saved my life. And now, he saved me again, through you.” 

Gen was saved from replying by Gadget, who arrived bearing food. “Here, Gen, I fixed you up a plate.” Gadget handed him a food-laden dish. “They have all kinds of good food over there. I don’t think I’ve eaten this much fresh food in my life!” He held out another plate to K’zen. “The Empress asked me to bring this to you, Lord K’zen.”

“Thank you,” K'zen said. He eyed the plate with distaste. “Ugh. I don’t think I could eat even half of this. Here, take some of those rolls—but don’t let my aunt see you do it.”

Gadget grinned as he leaned forward and plucked a couple of meat rolls off the plate, and then he sat down next to Gen. Gadget wore new clothes too, and Gen was amused to see that Gadget didn’t like the formal clothes any more than he did. While Gen ate, he appreciated the warmth of Gadget’s thigh pressing against his.

“It’s really freaky how you two look just alike,” Gadget said. “Well, except for your hair. Hey, Gen, do you think Lord K’zen has the same memories as you?”

“Memories?” K’zen looked at Gen.

Gen described some of the things he recalled about the palace.

K’zen nodded. “I remember hiding from Jiro behind those columns, it was great fun. He would get so flustered when he couldn’t find me, and then Aunt would wag her finger at me and say—”

“’Now look what you’ve done, you’ve made Jiro have a conniption,’” Gen finished, mimicking the Empress’ tone.

K’zen stared at him for a moment. “Yes, that’s exactly what she said. I used to feed the fish in the pond, too. Hmmm, let’s see what else… I used to run off sometimes and climb this one big tree, and I would sit on one of its branches and read for hours.”

Gen blinked at him. “When my chores were done,” he said.

“Yes—” K’zen stopped and looked at Gen. “But… I never had any chores.”

“Gadget, go get Kai’s datapad, and ask him to bring up the image of the tree he had on the screens in his data room.” Gen said. 

Gadget looked at him questioningly, but he complied, and a minute later he handed Kai’s datapad to Gen. 

Gen showed it to K’zen. “Is this the tree?”

“Yes.”

“Kai told me this tree was from Komou’s childhood home,” Gen said. “I remember it, too—as well as other memories that were Komou’s, and not mine.”

K’zen’s lips thinned to a grim line as he studied the photo. “Aunt,” he said, raising his voice to be heard above the chatter in the room, “I have a question for you.” When he had K’non’s attention he asked, “What did Komou and Uko do to heal me years ago, when I was so sick?”

The Empress sat on a sofa next to K’zen’s chair. “They created a clone of you, my darling, and they used it to save your life.”

Gen frowned. Something about her explanation didn’t add up.

Kai rose from his seat across the room. “But when Litou made his move against you, Gracious Lady, he did more than try to have Gen killed,” Kai said. “Two laboratories with stasis chambers were destroyed right after Lord K’zen was poisoned. More than one clone was created, all those years ago.”

The Empress hesitated, and then she replied, “Yes.”

Gen sat forward in his chair. “How many? How many clones were in those stasis chambers?”

She gripped her bejeweled hands tightly in her lap. “Nineteen,” she admitted. “We kept them in two separate locations, and with Uko’s help, Litou’s assassins found them and killed them all two weeks ago.”

K’zen’s plate slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor, and the crack of the breaking china echoed in the suddenly silent room.

“There were _more?_ ” K’zen stared at the Empress. “There were nineteen copies of me, being kept alive somewhere? For what purpose?”

“For backup,” Kai said. “A living supply of blood and organs, should you need them. You do have some unique physiologies, Lord K’zen.”

K’zen’s violet eyes, so like Gen’s own, widened in horror. “But they were people… like Gen, weren’t they?” He turned to his aunt. “How could you do such a thing?”

“They weren’t really ‘alive,’” she said. “They were never conscious, and Uko swore they never felt anything at all.”

“Uko,” Gen sneered the name. “We all know how trustworthy his word is. Did Komou know about those other nineteen clones?”

“Yes,” the Empress said. “But he didn’t approve of what Uko had done, and he left my employ because of it.”

At that moment, Gen felt a fierce pride for the man who had been his father.

“Aunt.” K’zen gripped the carved wooden arms of his chair. “What number am I?”

K’non reached over to touch K’zen’s arm. “K’zen, don’t be silly—”

He jerked away from her. “Tell me. After all this, I deserve to know,” he insisted.

_He knows already._ Gen’s gaze shifted from the Douji to the Empress, whose eyes became shadowed with a great sorrow.

There was a long silence, and then the Empress finally spoke. “You are the eleventh.”

Gadget and Shaw gasped, while Kai just nodded solemnly. Over in the corner of the room, Jiro stood quietly, his head bowed.

“Eleven?” K’zen stared at the Empress. “What happened to the other ten before me? When did the… ‘real’ one of us die?”

K’non rose from her seat and walked over to the fireplace. “Thirteen years ago, my nephew—my heir—became ill,” she said, not looking at them. “Uko was my scientific advisor then, and when my nephew’s condition worsened I asked for his help. After he determined that K’zen would not recover, Uko suggested cloning him; he had considerable experience in genetics, and he claimed to know a way to extract a person’s memories and transfer them to someone else.” Her fingers traced the smooth marble of the fireplace’s mantel. “The first ten were… not successful.”

She did not elaborate further.

When the silence grew to an uncomfortable length, Kai spoke up. “What changed? Lord K’zen is obviously a successful clone, as is Gen.” 

“I found out about Komou,” K’non replied. “He was a brilliant geneticist, and he had been Uko’s teacher and mentor. I brought him here to Tenkigh, and he worked with Uko in making a second attempt before my poor nephew died. You were the first, K’zen. You were healthy, stable and your memories transferred without a hitch—you were the first of Komou’s “Gen Two.” 

“’Gen Two,’” Gen repeated. 

“Wow,” said Gadget, “that must be how Gen—”

Gen elbowed him. “Hush,” he murmured.

The Empress looked over at them, and the corner of her mouth briefly curved in a smile. 

“What number am I?” Gen forced the words past tight vocal cords.

“You would be… the thirty-first,” K’non said. “I didn’t know about you, Gen. After it was determined that Gen Two was a success, Uko wanted to create others as… backups, like Kai said. But Komou didn’t approve of creating clones only to keep them in stasis, and the two had a falling-out. And because I was afraid that something might happen to my ‘new’ nephew, I sided with Uko. Komou left us then, and he settled on Kinzaan.” She shook her head. “I’ve been buying his wine all these years, and have followed his successes, and I never realized what he had done. When I saw mentions of a son I assumed that he’d married, and that you were his natural child.”

She walked over and knelt in front of Gen and K’zen, and she took both of their hands in hers. “I’m sorry,” she said, and when she lifted her head her cheeks were streaked with tears. “It’s just that I loved you so much—” she gripped K’zen’s hand tight “—I still love you. You are my joy, K’zen, in all your grumpy, pissy glory, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

“But you _will_ lose me one day, because all men die,” K’zen replied. “You shouldn’t have tried to replace me with endless copies of myself.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “But I thank you for your love, Aunt, and for this life. I will live it now with the same uncertainty as everyone else.”

K’non nodded, and then she released their hands, kissed both of them, and rose to her feet. “Jiro!” she said, “Bring everyone a glass of sparkling wine; we need to toast to my nephew’s return to health. And also,” she said, accepting a glass, “I want to welcome my _other_ nephew, Gen, to our family.”


	14. Chapter 14

“I promised you a ship, so let’s go see it, boys.” The _clack_ of the Empress’ heels echoed noisily off the walls as they walked down a corridor that led to one of the landing bays.

“What kind of ship is it?” Gadget was practically skipping. “How big is it?”

K’non’s earrings jingled as she looked back at Gadget. “It’s a surprise,” she said with a wink. “To be honest, it’s a surprise to me, too. I just told my people to get me a ship, and they got me one.”

“I wish I had people like that,” Shaw murmured, elbowing Gadget.

“You have Kai,” Gadget reminded him, elbowing him back. 

Gen snorted at the two idiots in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kai’s quiet smile.

When they reached the end of the corridor, the Empress reached out and pressed a button. The bay door groaned and rose in front of them, leaking sunlight into the corridor where they stood. She waved a ring-laden hand at the ship that was revealed. “So what do you think, Shaw? Is this ship sufficient to replace the one you lost?”

Shaw gaped at the large freighter that sat inside the circular confines of the landing bay. “I… it’s…”

“It’s cool!” Gadget said, and he pushed past Shaw to run toward the ship. “It’s a Barloz, Shaw! It’s got almost twice as much cargo space as the _Shakujou_ did—that means we can be out for three whole months at a time!” He jogged toward the rear of the ship and then waved excitedly at Shaw. “It has a Jump-2 drive, Shaw!” he shouted.

“Looks like Gadget approves, anyway,” Gen said.

“The Barloz is an older ship, but it's well-engineered,” Kai said. He turned to the Empress. “Where did you come across this one?”

“After his arrest, I had Litou’s assets seized,” K’non replied, “and among them was a trading company that had several ships in storage. It probably needs some work, but my personal pilot brought it here and inspected it, and he said it was space-worthy.”

Gadget was still jumping around and calling out the ship’s specifications, even though no one was listening.

“It’ll do very well, Great Lady,” Shaw said, grinning. “Thank you.” He bowed.

“I took the liberty of fueling and stocking it for you,” she said, “and I put a few credits into both your accounts. Yours, too.” She nodded at Kai.

Gadget ran back over, his cheeks flushed from his exertions. “Are we gonna take it, Shaw?”

Shaw ruffled his hair. “Yeah, bro, we have ourselves a new home.”

Gadget’s laughter echoed through the chamber.

_Home_. Gen looked at Gadget’s happy face, and Shaw’s smile. They had lost everything, too, and now they were able to start again—with a new place to call home.

Where would his be? Gen thought. Here, in the stifling opulence of the Palace, surrounded by kowtowing strangers? Back in the smoking ruins of the vineyard? He lifted his gaze to take in the ship that stood behind them. “Do you have room for an extra crew member?” he asked, a little surprised at how easily the question came from his lips.

Gadget’s smile rivaled the sunlight that streamed into the landing bay. “Shaw, we could totally use another person—there’s all that extra cargo space, and its engines and drive are bigger, too.” 

“Why the hell not,” Shaw said. “We don’t have to worry about people chasing you any more, and I’m sure lover-boy won’t mind bunking with you.”

The Empress touched Gen’s arm. “But I thought you would be staying here, with K’zen and me. I can give you a title, and your own suite of rooms—”

Gen shook his head. “I don’t belong here,” he said. “I’ve spent the ten years I’ve been alive working on that vineyard, and all this luxury is foreign to me.” He gestured toward Shaw and Gadget. “These two men risked their lives to help me, and they have become my friends. That’s something that’s _mine,_ and mine alone—Komou didn’t create it, and neither did you. My ‘real’ life can start with them.” _With him,_ Gen thought, looking at Gadget.

Gadget’s returning gaze held the promise of sleepless nights to come.

“Well, now that you three are situated, it’s time I took my leave,” Kai said. “Shaw, let me know once you’re back on your regular route—since there are four of us, we should definitely schedule more card nights.”

“Sure thing, Kai,” Shaw said. “It’s going to take a good month or so to take care of all the insurance crap from losing the _Shakujou_ and her cargo, but I think we’ll be up and running in no time.” 

Kai turned to the Empress and gave a deep bow. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Great Lady. I have given a vidcomm access code to your man Jiro, should you ever need my services.”

“You can count on it, handsome,” K’non said, and when Kai left she turned to Gen. “I wish you would stay, Gen. We were just getting to know you.” She brushed a few wayward stands of golden hair off his forehead. “Please remember that K’zen and I are your family, however strange the circumstances, and there will always be a place for you here. You’ll visit us, now and then?”

Gen nodded. “Now and then,” he said.

She looked past him, to watch Shaw and Gadget fetch their packs from Jiro. “Will you ever return to the vineyard?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I want a clean start.” If the time came that he tired of space travel, Gen decided, he could always find a patch of earth to work, and call his own. And, perhaps, Gadget would come with him.

“Good luck, then,” she said, and she kissed him on the cheek.

“Hey, new crew member!” Shaw waved at him from the entry ramp. “Get your ass over here! The galaxy awaits.”

Gadget was waiting too. 

Gen walked away, without looking back, and went to join his friends.

_-fin-_


End file.
